


Bad Decisions

by jokerssmile



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-01
Updated: 2015-09-01
Packaged: 2018-04-18 13:40:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4707998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jokerssmile/pseuds/jokerssmile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a few bad decisons, Emma is determined to make things right but in the end will it be enough? This story is AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is partially inspired by two songs, Photograph by Ed Sheeran & Never Be Alone by Shawn Mendes. 
> 
> Memories are in Italic

Bad decisions.

That should have been Emma’s middle name because it seems that’s the only kind she can make.

Her latest bad decision came in the form of Neal Cassidy. A two-bit low-life piece of shit that got her mixed up in his bullshit. So now here she was, driving as fast as she could east in her VW Bug.

One bad decision after another and this is where she ended up.

Emma told herself that it all started when she met Neal in a crowded bar in San Francisco but she knew she’d be lying to herself.

She knew exactly when it started and now she was hoping to fix all that.

Emma stopped at a gas station somewhere on Interstate 80 to fill up.

As she pumped gas she caught her reflection in the back window of the car. She looked like hell and rightly so. She barely slept and even when she did memories flooded back to her in the form of dreams.

She closed her tired eyes as she thought back on the last two days when she’d been in San Francisco with Neal.

_“I swear to God Emma I didn’t think he’d find out!” Neal said as he followed her around their small apartment while she packed._

_“You’re right you didn’t think!” She yelled at him as she shoved some of her clothes in a duffle bag._

_“You got involved with the wrong people, you stole from them and now they want their god damn money back.” She yelled as she tore through the dresser in her room, “And of course you don’t have it so now they are coming after you.”_

_“Any fucking minute now those guys are gonna bust in here and I’m wasting my time trying to explain shit to you because you’re a moron!”_

_She stopped and looked at him, “I don’t want to be involved in your bullshit anymore.”_

_“I should have left a long time ago.” She said as she grabbed a few more things from her bedroom and shoved them into her bag, “Actually, I never should have come to San Francisco in the first place.” She added as she pushing passed him._

_“Emma, where are you going to go?” He asked as he followed her out of her bedroom._

_“Don’t worry about it. Just know I’m not sticking around here any longer.” She told him._

_“So you’re just going to leave?” He asked her._

_She turned and looked at him, a sad look on his face, “Yes.”_

_She opened the door, the strap of her bag slung over her shoulder._

_“Fine leave then!” He yelled at her as she slammed the door shut behind her._

The handle on the gas pump clicked and snapped her out of her thoughts.

Emma returned the nozzle to the pump, got in her car and continued down Interstate 80.

***

Emma pulled onto a side road and parked. She hunkered down in the front seat using an old sweatshirt as a pillow. She hoped to get a few hours of sleep before getting up and heading on her way.

A memory from her past filled her dreams.

_She sat down by the docks and watched as a shipping boat left the harbor._

_A dark haired woman sat down next to her, “What are you doing up so early?”_

_Emma looked at her, “I couldn’t sleep and I didn’t want to wake you.”_

_“Something on your mind?”_

_Emma took the woman’s hand in hers then stared out at the water, “No.” She lied._

Emma was up before dawn and back on the road.

As the sun started to come up more memories swirled in Emma’s mind as she drove.

_Emma tore out of her car and slammed the door shut, “Are you fucking blind?!” She yelled to the driver of the vintage red convertible Mustang that just rear-ended her._

_“The light was red!” She continued, “That means stop in case you weren’t aware of it in this small little backwater town of yours!”_

_“I’m truly sorry.” The woman said, “The sun was in my eyes.”_

_Emma looked at the back of her little yellow Volkswagen beetle, “Aw god damn it, look what you did!”_

_“Please just calm down.” The woman said, “I will pay for the damages.”_

_“Damn right you will!”_

_“Let’s just exchange information.” The woman said as she handed Emma her insurance and license._

_A police siren whooped and both women turned around to see a tall lanky man with short brown hair approach them._

_“What happened here Regina?” He asked the woman._

_“It was totally my fault, David.” Regina said to him._

_He looked over at the damage then to Emma, “Are you okay Miss? Do you need an EMT to look you over?”_

_“No I’m fine but look what she did to my car!” Emma said to David._

_“Don’t worry Miss, we’ll get everything taken care of.” He told her as he went back to his car and got on the radio to call a tow truck._

_“I’m Regina by the way.” She said holding out her hand._

_Emma folded her arms across her chest, “Emma.”_

_Not exactly the way it goes in the movies but it was the start of a love story nonetheless._

She stopped at a gas station before Skull Valley and grabbed gas and a few snacks before getting back on the road.

A small part of her couldn’t help but wonder what happened to Neal. She’d ditched her cellphone back in San Francisco and didn’t want to risk calling and having him find out where she was going.

Neal hadn’t always been a moron. He was a bartender and made good money and things had been good for him up until about 6 months ago then Neal started doing shady things. He’d come home late smelling of booze and cigarette smoke and Emma would ask him where he’d been and he’d tell her not to worry.

How stupid was she to have believed him?

She sighed. Served her right for this is what she got for wanting an exciting life outside of a small town.

Emma made a quick stop at a McDonald’s to grab some food then parked her car in the parking lot of a 24 hour Walmart and tried to get some sleep.

_“Shit, Regina what the hell did you do?”_

_“Seems I got into a little fender-bender Mulan.” Regina said to the Asian woman who was wiping her hands on a rag._

_“You’re the mechanic?” Emma asked looking the woman up and down._

_She was dressed in gray coveralls, a red bandanna covered most of her jet black hair and she had a smudge of grease on her left cheek._

_“Name’s Mulan.” She said holding a hand out to Emma._

_“Your name tag says Ed.” Emma said shaking her hand._

_“Yeah, well these aren’t my coveralls.” Mulan told her then walked over to the two cars that the tow truck just dropped off._

_“Regina, it looks like you’ll need a radiator and fan.” She said, “But I’ll have to get under the hood to be sure.”_

_She then walked over to Emma’s beat up Bug and sighed, “What’d they do to you, you poor thing?”_

_Emma leaned over to Regina and whispered, “Is she talking to the car?”_

_“Shh.” Regina said quietly._

_“More than likely I’ll have to order the parts.” Mulan said._

_“Are you talking to me or the car this time?” Emma asked._

_“To you.” Mulan said smiling, “Follow me.” And they followed her into her cramped office._

_“I can wait on my car. Just make sure you get Emma’s car fixed up.” Regina told her._

_“Always making sure the other person is taken care of first.” Mulan said with a wink._

_“Whatever the cost---.”_

_“I’m sure you’ll pay it.” Mulan said with a smile._

_Emma looked between the two women._

_“Uh hi, can you two flirt on your own time?” Emma asked then looked at Mulan, “How long is this going to take?”_

_“No, need to get jealous honey.” Mulan said to her and Emma sighed._

_“About a week.” Mulan told her, “I’ll call you when the work is done.”_

_Emma wrote her number down on a piece of paper and handed it to Mulan._

_Mulan smiled and looked at Regina, “And that’s how you get the digits.”_

_Emma rolled her eyes._

_“It seems you’re going to be in town for a while till your car gets fixed.” Regina said to Emma, “I know a place you can stay.” Regina said to her._

_“Where?” Emma asked._

_“It’s within walking distance from here.” Regina told her._

_“I bet everything in this town is.” Emma said then looked at Mulan, “Can I get my things from my car?”_

_“Yeah sure.” Mulan told her._

_After Emma grabbed her bags she came back into the shop and she and Regina walked over to the inn that was across the street from a small diner. They went inside and a tall pale woman with black hair standing behind the counter smiled at them._

_“Hi Ruby.” Regina said to her._

_“Hey Regina.” She said then turned her attention to Emma and with a head nod asked, “Who’s your friend?”_

_“I’m not her friend.” Emma said, “I just need a place to stay while my car gets fixed.”_

_Ruby looked at Regina._

_“Just a small accident that was my fault so please send me the bill for her room.” Regina told her._

_“I can pay for my own room.” Emma said to Regina as she pulled out her wallet and handed Ruby a credit card._

_Regina turned to Emma, “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go but I do hope we run into each other again soon.”_

_“Run into each other?” Emma asked, “Is that some kind of post-accident joke?”_

_Regina smiled at her as she turned and headed out the door._

_God damn if that woman didn’t have the best smile in the world. There was just something about it, it was inviting but had a small hint of danger to it._

_Emma got settled into her room upstairs then decided to explore some of the small town._

_She found there wasn’t really much to it. Just a few basic shops down the main street and the marina where all the boats were._

_She wandered down the street when the whiff of something sweet caught her attention. She sniffed and followed the scent till she ended up standing in front of the only bakery in town._

_“Enchanted Delights huh?” She said to herself as she pushed the door open and went in. The heavenly smells overwhelmed her as she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath._

_“Be with you in a minute!” A woman called from the kitchen._

_Emma looked at all the desserts and treats in the glass cases and her mouth started to water._

_“So what can I get you?” The woman asked as she came through the double doors._

_Emma looked up to see Regina wiping her hands on her apron._

_“What are you doing here?” Emma asked surprised to see her._

_“I like to come in and man-handle the dough before the baker gets here.” Regina told her._

_Emma gave her a strange look and Regina chuckled._

_“This is my bakery.” Regina told her._

_Emma looked around the small shop, “It’s a nice place.”_

_“Thank you.” Regina said as she took off her apron, “I also live upstairs so the commute is short.”_

_“So, see anything you like?” She asked as she stepped up to the counter with a smile._

_‘Kind of a loaded question isn’t it?’ Emma thought to herself then pointed at one of the coconut cream pies._

_“Would you like a slice or a whole pie?” Regina asked as she pulled the pie from the case._

_“Just a slice please.” Emma said to her._

_Regina smiled and cut her a thick slice before placing it on a white porcelain plate. She held it out for Emma, “There you go.”_

_“How much do I owe you?” Emma asked as she took the plate._

_“On the house.” Regina told her._

_“Thanks.” Emma said then sat down at one of the tables._

_She hadn’t realized that she’d been sitting for almost an hour after she’d finished her pie but she got lost in some kind of trance as she watched Regina serve customer after customer that came into her shop._

_A loud clattering thumping noise came from the kitchen then someone yelled “Son of a bitch!”_

_Regina ran through the double doors._

_Moments later she came out of the kitchen with a shorter blonde haired woman who was covered in a flour and egg mix._

_“Just go home and get cleaned up Tina.” Regina said as she ushered the woman to the front door, “I’ll handle it from here.”_

_“Who was that and what happened to her?” Emma asked Regina as she passed her._

_“Well that’s Tina my friend and sometimes helper.” Regina told her, “But she also likes to tinker around with things. She did something to the mixer to make it more powerful and well, you saw the results.” Regina told her, “God help her, she’s not that good at the tinkering but she makes one hell of a maple glaze donut.”_

_Regina went back into the kitchen to clean up the mess and Emma continued to sit at the small table watching the people of the Storybrooke as they walked by the big front windows._

_Moments later an older gentleman with salt and pepper colored hair and a beard to match came into the shop._

_Regina came out of the kitchen and went up to the counter._

_“What can I get for you old man?” Regina asked him._

_“Give me a minute will ya?” He grumbled as he looked at all the desserts._

_“I could have baked two pies by now.” Regina said with a tone._

_“Well go do that then.” The man said to her as he moved down to where the pies were._

_“There.” He said pointing, “Give me a slice of peach pie to go and don’t be stingy with the whip topping.”_

_Regina cut the man his slice, covered it in whipped topping and handed it to him with a plastic fork._

_“Thank you.” He said then turned and headed out the door._

_Emma had been watching the whole exchange and now she was curious. She got up and headed to the counter._

_“Another slice of pie?” Regina asked._

_“No, thanks.” Emma said, “But what’s the deal with you and the old man?”_

_“Oh him?” Regina said, “He comes in here every day, gives me a hard time then orders the same thing before he leaves to eat on the bench out there by the fountain.”_

_“You two don’t seem to like each other very much.” Emma said._

_“Are you kidding me? I love that guy.” Regina told her and Emma gave her a curious look._

_Regina smiled, “He’s my dad.”_

Emma was jolted awake by a hard rapping on her car window.

She looked up and the light from a flashlight blinded her. She shielded her eyes.

“You can’t sleep here.”

Emma saw that it was a security guard, “Okay, Okay.” She said as she sat up in the driver’s seat.

“Sorry about that.” She said through the rolled up window as she started her car.

The security guard stepped away and Emma drove off.

She had only managed to get a few hours of sleep so at the next gas station she ran as quickly and as safely as she could through the rain and into the mini-mart. She got a large cup of coffee and a couple of energy bars. As she left the mini-mart, a payphone caught her eye. So standing in the pouring rain she made a call.

“Enchanted Delights, how may I help you?”

When that familiar voice came on the line, Emma’s heart skipped a beat. She closed her eyes and hung her head. She wanted so badly to say something but fear choked her and she slammed the receiver down.

Soaking wet she returned to her car and got back on the road.

_“Thinking about stowing away and heading out to sea?”_

_Emma turned to see Regina standing there._

_She smiled, “You caught me.”_

_Regina sat on the bench next to her, “Is Storybrooke really that bad?”_

_Emma shrugged her shoulders, “Is there more to the town than what I’ve seen these last 4 days?”_

_“I’m afraid what you see is what you get.” Regina told her, “But it’s a good town and it does grow on you if you give it time.”_

_Emma gave her an unsure look._

_“Let me buy you an ice cream cone.” Regina said as she stood up._

_“Ice cream?” Emma asked, “This is how you’re going to win me over?”_

_“It’s a start.” Regina said and Emma stood up._

_They walked to the small ice cream shop and Emma looked up at the sign, “Your Sundae Best?”_

_“An ex-nun owns it.” Regina told her._

_“You’re kidding me right?”_

_“Nope.” Regina said as she opened the door for her._

_They went inside and a woman in her 40s smiled at them. She had beady brown eyes and her long brown hair was pulled back and put in a low bun._

_“Hello Regina.” The woman said._

_“Hi.” Regina said then turned to Emma, “This is Lea Rubify, the wonderful owner of the best ice cream shop around.”_

_“Oh stop.” Lea said to Regina._

_“And Lea, this is Emma.” Regina said._

_“Hi.” Emma said with a head nod and Lea smiled._

_“So ladies what can I get the two of you?” Lea asked them, metal ice cream scoop in hand._

_Regina looked at Emma, “You trust me?”_

_“I don’t even know you.” Emma said with a chuckle._

_“You have a point.” Regina said, “But let me pick your ice cream.”_

_“Uh and why would I do that?” Emma asked._

_“Just consider it a trust building exercise.” Regina told her then turned back to the counter._

_“I’ll take Maple Walnut in a waffle cone and for Emma—.” Regina trailed off as she looked at all the different ice creams, “Hoof Prints in a waffle cone.”_

_“Hoof Prints?” Emma asked with a strange look on her face._

_“It’s good. You’ll like it.” Regina told her as she watched Lea scoop their ice cream._

_Lea handed them their cones and Regina paid before saying thank you and leaving the shop with Emma behind her._

_Emma was about to take a lick when Regina stopped her._

_“Wait.” She said, “Let’s go sit by the fountain first.”_

_They sat down along the fountain, the coins in the water glinted from the afternoon sun._

_“Can I have my ice cream now?” Emma asked cone inches from her lips._

_Regina nodded and watched as Emma took a slow lick then closed her eyes._

_She smacked her lips savoring the creamy taste._

_“That’s some really good ice cream.” Emma said to Regina as she opened her eyes._

_Regina smiled, “I know.”_

Emma knew she should probably stop daydreaming about the past and focus on the road but sometimes memories creep up on you when you least expect or want them to.

_“I’ve got some good news and some bad news.” Mulan told Emma as they stood in her shop._

_“I thought when you called me and told me to come down here it was to tell me you had my car fixed.” Emma said, “So if that’s not it then what’s the good news?”_

_“I found the part I needed.” She told her._

_“And the bad news?”_

_“It’s in Seattle.” Mulan told her, “It’ll take at least another 5 days to get here.”_

_“Damn it.” Emma cursed quietly._

_“I’m real sorry.” She told her._

_Emma shook her head, “It’s not your fault. It’s just what I get for driving a dinosaur of a car.”_

_****_

_“What’s with the grumpy face?”_

_Emma turned on her stool in the diner to see Regina standing next to her._

_“Mulan said it’s going to take a little longer to fix my car.” Emma told her._

_“Sounds like good news to me.” Regina said as she sat down._

_Emma gave her a look._

_“It just gives us more time.” Regina said._

_“More time for what?” Emma asked._

_“To get to know each other better.” Regina said smiling._

_“Planning to take me out for more ice cream?” Emma asked as Ruby poured Regina a cup of coffee._

_“I was thinking more along the lines of dinner.” Regina told her, “But we can get ice cream afterwards if you like.”_

_“Are you asking me out on a date?” Emma asked her._

_“I am.” Regina told her._

_Emma smiled as she stood up and put some money on the counter, “Pick me up at 7.”_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Memories are in Italic

Emma forced herself to stay awake as she drove on. The faster she put distance between her, Neal and San Francisco the better.

A part of her felt bad for just leaving Neal to fend for himself but then again he’s the one that got himself into the mess he was now in. She hoped he was smart enough to leave town like she did but she highly doubted it.

As she drove into the night she thought of their first meeting.

_“Hey pretty thing, what can I get you?”_

_“Do lines like that really work?” Emma asked as she sat down on the only available stool at the bar._

_“Calm your tits lady, I’m just trying to find out what kind of drink you want.” The bartender asked._

_“Bourbon.” Emma told him and he pour her drink for her._

_“So what’s got your panties in a twist tonight?” He asked her._

_Emma gave him a look, “You talk to everyone like that?”_

_“Nope.” He said with a smile, “Just the pretty ones.”_

_Emma rolled her eyes._

_By the end of the night Emma was a little more than buzzed as she stood outside the bar trying to locate her car._

_“It’s probably a good thing you can’t find your car.”_

_She turned around and there stood the bartender._

_“I thought I called a cab but I think I ordered a medium pepperoni pizza instead.” Emma told him and he chuckled._

_“I’d offer you a ride but you really shouldn’t take rides from strangers.” He said to her as he pulled out his cellphone and called her a cab._

_“Cab should be here soon.” He told her as he put his phone back in his pocket._

_“Thanks.” Emma said with a smile._

_“My name’s Neal by the way.” He said._

_“Emma.” She said, “But to be honest, I probably won’t remember your name tomorrow when I wake up with my hangover.”_

_Emma had gone back to the bar the next night to get her car and to thank Neal for being a gentleman and the night led to them having a late dinner and talking._

_They’d gone to dinner or drinks a few more times after that and Emma talked to him about why she was in San Francisco, how she would be teaching music and that she was looking for a place to live because her temporary housing provided by the school was coming to an end._

_He told her that if she had the guts she could perform at the bar any time she wanted and he had a spare room in his apartment. Emma took him up on both offers._

_After living together for a while she started to question some of his after work activities and he was always secretive about it._

_Finally one night after he got extremely drunk he confessed to her that his boss used the bar as a front to launder money and that he was now skimming money of the dealings._

_They’d only been living together for 6 months and Emma shook her head as she thought back on how quickly things changed for her._

She made a stop at a small diner to get something to eat. She sat at the counter and slowly ate her hamburger and fries, enjoying every bite.

After she finished her meal she went into the bathroom and tried to freshen up a little. She looked at herself in the mirror and shook her head. She had bags under her tired eyes and was a little more pale than usual.

She pulled her hair back, putting it into a low pony tail before washing her face. She dried her face and hands before returning to the counter and asking the waitress for a black cup of coffee to go. She paid her bill then headed back to her car.

She got back on the road and continued on her journey. As she sipped her coffee she thought of Regina.

_“One thing I don’t like about Storybrooke is the lack of a good steakhouse.” Regina said to Emma as she drove in a car she borrowed from Mulan across the city line._

_“You do eat meat right?” Regina asked, “Please tell me you do and you’re not some veggie vegan mung bean eating person?”_

_Emma laughed, “Yes I eat meat.”_

_“Oh thank God.” Regina said smiling._

_They parked and got out of the car._

_By the Horns Steakhouse was packed so the hostess took them to the bar to wait for a table._

_“It’s normally not this busy.” Regina said as she sipped her white wine._

_“It’s okay.” Emma said as she casually sipped her beer and looked around._

_After a half hour wait their hostess finally seated them, gave them menus then took their drink order before leaving their table._

_“Holy shit, who the hell can eat a 40 ounce steak?!” Emma asked Regina after seeing the item on the menu._

_Regina thumbed over her shoulder and Emma looked passed her to see a wall with 8 Polaroid pictures plastered to it. One picture featured a smiling Regina, steak sauce on her face as she held up a t-shirt that read, “I Ate The Bull, Horns and all.”_

_Emma looked back at Regina, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”_

_Regina smiled, “That was two years ago and I still have the shirt.”_

_“So, tell me Emma Swan what’s your story?” Regina asked after they ordered their meal._

_Emma gave a small shrug, “I don’t really know.”_

_“There’s gotta be something behind that smile and sad eyes.” Regina said to her then took a sip of her wine._

_“I’ll give you the short version.” Emma told her, “I was born in Boston and I’m an only child. I had two loving parents.”_

_She took a sip of her beer then continued, “After I finished high school I travelled through parts of Canada and the East Coast for about a year before going to college and getting a degree in something my mother didn’t really approve of.”_

_“After that I moved around a little taking a couple jobs here and there.” Emma told her then smiled, “Like I said, not much to tell.”_

_“What did you get a degree in?” Regina asked._

_“Music.” Emma told her, “Mostly the classical stuff.”_

_“You study it?” Regina asked._

_“Study it, play it, teach it.” Emma told her, “You know a little bit of everything.”_

_“Could you teach me?” Regina asked her._

_“Depends on what you want to play.” Emma told her, “Not too good with the brass instruments but my finger dexterity is pretty good for other things.”_

_Regina grinned._

_“That came out a little pervy didn’t it?” Emma asked a slight blush on her cheeks._

_“I’d love to see those fingers in action.” Regina said with a wink._

_After their dinner Regina suggested a walk to work off their heavy meal._

_“You know I casually noticed you’re not wearing a wedding ring.” Regina said as they walked._

_“Casually noticed huh?” Emma asked with a grin._

_“What can I say?” Regina said, “I’m observant.”_

_“And I’m not married.” Emma told her._

_“Boyfriend?” Regina asked then raised her eyebrows, “Girlfriend?”_

_Emma laughed, “Neither.”_

_“Whew good thing.” Regina said, “I would have felt a little bad flirting with someone else’s girlfriend.”_

_“No, you wouldn’t have.”_ Emma said.

_Regina smiled, “No, I wouldn’t have.”_

Emma stopped at a small fleabag of a motel, paid cash up front and got a room. It wasn’t much but it offered her a place to shower and a bed to sleep in for more than a few hours.

She took a long hot shower before drying off and changing into some fresh clothes. She went to the vending machine, got her dinner then headed back to her room. She sat on the bed, ate then fell asleep with the TV on.

_“You know you’re in here just about as much as my father now.” Regina said to Emma as she handed her a slice of coconut cream pie._

_“Maybe I just really like …” Emma said smiling, “the pie.”_

_Emma sat down at her usual table and slowly ate her pie as she watched Regina._

_Tina came out of the kitchen and handed Regina two freshly baked pies without a word then went back into the kitchen._

_The lunch crowd came and went and the place finally slowed down so Regina took a seat across from Emma at her table._

_“Your helper doesn’t really say much huh?” Emma asked her._

_“Tina’s quiet but if you piss her off you better watch out.” Regina told her, “She’s like dynamite in a small package.”_

_She turned to watch as Tina brought out a tray of sugar cookies and slid it into the display case._

_“She’s a good and loyal friend too. She’s one of my best.” Regina said then turned her attention back to Emma._

_“So, are there any other desserts you like besides coconut cream pie?” She asked._

_Emma leaned back in her chair and gave it some thought, “Caramel peanut butter brownies. They are heaven. I swear to you they were the best god damn brownies in the world.”_

_Regina smiled, “The best huh?”_

_“Like, the best.” Emma said, “You’d sell your soul for them.”_

_Regina laughed._

_“And what was so special about these brownies?”_

_“My dad used to make them for me.” Emma told her, a small sad smile on her face._

_“Well I can’t promise you’ll want to sell your soul--.” Regina said as she stood up and held out a hand to Emma, “But how about we make some brownies?”_

_Emma smiled and gladly took it._

_Regina told Tina she could take the rest of the day off because she had plans to make a mess and she didn’t want her to be a witness._

_Tina chuckled, “Not a problem Regina.” She said as she took off her apron._

_Once Tina took off, Regina and Emma stood in the kitchen and Emma looked around, “Pretty nice place you got here.”_

_“Thanks.” Regina said then grabbed an apron off the hook it was hanging on._

_“First things first.” She said then went over to Emma and put the loop over her head. “Turn please.” Regina said and Emma turned around so she could tie the apron strings._

_“Not too tight?” Regina asked._

_“Nope.”_

_Regina put her own apron on then went to preheat the oven._

_“What the hell is this thing?” Emma asked standing by a deep silver bowl with what looked like an oversized egg beater in it._

_“That’s my mixer.” Regina told her, “Tina fixed it but we won’t be using it today.”_

_Regina told Emma what ingredients she would need and Emma, like a chicken with its head cut off ran around the kitchen grabbing everything._

_“Okay now let’s measure out the dry ingredients first and put them in this bowl here.” Regina told Emma as she handed her a glass measuring cup._

_“You do know how to use one of those right?” Regina asked._

_Emma looked at her, “Yes, I’m not a complete idiot.”_

_With the dry ingredients measured and put in the bowl Emma turned to Regina, “Now what?”_

_“Crack those eggs into this bowl.” Regina said sliding an empty bowl to her, “And then add this.”_

_Emma took the small measuring cup from Regina and smelled the brown liquid, “Vanilla?”_

_“You got it.” Regina told her._

_She turned to go to the stove but stopped, “Oh and Emma, don’t get shells in the mix.”_

_“Bossy.” Emma mumbled under her breath._

_“What was that?” Regina asked as she put a pot on the stove to melt some butter._

_“Oh nothing.” Emma said as she started cracking eggs._

_Emma added the beaten eggs to the dry ingredients and mixed it up. Regina added the butter while Emma continued to stir._

_“Come on put some muscle into it.” Regina told Emma when her stirring started to slow._

_After the brownie mix was stirred up Regina grabbed two medium sized pans, greased them then had Emma pour out equal amounts of batter into both._

_“Now what?” Emma asked looking at Regina._

_“Now we drop some peanut butter in there and swirl it around till it’s pretty.” Regina told her._

_They dropped small spoonfuls of peanut butter into the brownie batter then Regina took a knife and swirled the peanut butter around._

_“Here you go.” Regina said handing Emma a bottle._

_“What’s this?” Emma asked her._

_“That’s the caramel.” Regina told her, “Now, I make that from scratch so you just go right ahead and put as much of it as you want.”_

_Emma tipped the bottle and squeezed out a small amount onto her finger before putting it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and let out a small moan._

_Regina smiled._

_Once the caramel was drizzled over the batter they took the trays and put them in the oven. Regina set a timer then they took off their aprons and went back into the shop._

_“So, what made you want to be a baker?” Emma asked as they sat down at one of the tables._

_“My grandmother.” Regina told her, “She died when I was 20 but before she died she taught me everything she knew.”_

_“That moment you had in the kitchen with the caramel--.” Regina said and Emma smiled a little, “That’s why I love this. I love the happiness and pleasure it brings to people.”_

_“I know a piece of pie or a cookie won’t solve all the world problems but maybe for a moment it will make you forget for a bit.”_

_Emma loved the look on Regina’s face, the sparkle in her eye and the small smile she had on her lips as she talked._

_A customer came in and Regina stood up, “Excuse me.”_

_Regina served a few customers before the timer rang and she waved Emma back into the kitchen._

_She handed her a set of oven mitts then opened the oven and Emma took out one of the pans as Regina took out the other._

_“Oh my god these smell so damn good!” Emma said as she looked around for a knife._

_Regina turned off the oven and shut the door._

_“Where’s a knife?!” Emma asked impatiently._

_Regina laughed, “You have to let them cool a little, Emma.”_

_“But I want one now.” She whined and stomped her foot._

_“They have to cool.” Regina told her then took Emma by the hand and practically had to drag her out of the kitchen._

_Regina watched as a pouting Emma sat back down at a table then she helped a couple of customers that had come in._

_After the customers got their desserts Emma stood up and went to the counter, a huge smile on her face._

_Regina rolled her eyes, “Come on then.” And Emma followed her into the kitchen._

_They stood in front of the pans and again Emma looked around for a knife._

_“Where the hell are the damn knives in this place?” She asked, “Seriously, it’s a kitchen shouldn’t there be a bunch of knives in here?”_

_Regina laughed as she walked over and grabbed one of her big knives off the counter, “This will do just fine.”_

_Before she cut into one of the pans she instructed Emma to go grab two plates and two glasses. She returned as quickly as she could with the items and stood right next to Regina._

_Regina used a spatula to pry two thick brownie squares from the pan one at a time and then placed them carefully on the plates._

_“AH!” Regina said smacking Emma’s hand away from the brownie, “Go to that fridge and get some milk.”_

_Emma looked at her, “You hit me.”_

_“I did.” Regina said then pointed to the fridge, “Milk. Now.”_

_Emma went to the fridge, got the milk and poured each of them a glass before putting the milk back._

_Regina grabbed the two plates with the brownies and headed out of the kitchen. Emma took the glasses and hurried behind her._

_The customers had left and Regina and Emma sat down at one of the tables._

_She placed one of the brownies in front of Emma and smiled._

_Emma didn’t even bother waiting for Regina. She picked up the brownie and took a huge bite of it._

_Her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she closed them. She moaned as she savored the delightful mix of chocolate, caramel and peanut butter._

_Regina watched in amusement as Emma enjoyed herself._

_Emma finally opened her eyes, a little embarrassed by her display she smiled and then took a sip of her milk._

_“Well?” Regina asked in anticipation._

_“They were okay.” Emma said and Regina glared at her._

_She let out a small laugh, “I’m kidding. They’re amazing, Regina. Really.”_

_The next afternoon Emma strolled into the bakery and sat down at one of the tables. Regina brought her a piece of pie and smiled at her before returning back behind the counter._

_Emma was happily enjoying her last bite when in walked Regina’s father. He stood at the counter and he and Regina did their usual banter before he stopped as if something caught his eye._

_She heard Regina asked, “Are you sure?” and saw the man nod his head._

_Regina handed him his dessert and he headed out of the bakery._

_Emma got up and went to the counter, “Everything okay?”_

_“In the 8 years I’ve had this place, every day my father has come in ordered the same thing. No matter what other suggestions I made, it’s always been the same thing. Peach Pie, heavy on the whip topping.” Regina told her._

_“And?” Emma asked, “What happened today?”_

_“Today he ordered this.” Regina said and pointed into the display case and Emma looked down._

_There in the case were the brownies they’d made yesterday. A small hand written sign stuck in one of the brownies read, “Emma’s Heavenly Brownies.”_

_Emma looked back up at her, a small smile on her face, “Really?”_

_Regina smiled back at her._

A hard knock on the motel door jarred Emma awake. She sat up and looked around, “Huh?”

“Housekeeping.”

“Uh yeah no, I don’t need housekeeping thank you.” Emma called out towards the door.

She heard the squeaky wheel of the housekeeping cart move away from her room.

Emma rubbed her eyes then looked at the clock. She had an hour before check out so she got up, took a shower and changed before grabbing her things and going to the office.

She turned in her key then went to her car. She threw her bag in the backseat then got into the driver’s seat and took off.

She was at a gas station pumping gas when the sudden urge to vomit crept up in her throat and she threw up between the pumps.

“Oh are you okay sweetie?”

Emma turned to see an older woman standing by the pumps, a paper towel held out to her.

“I think so.” Emma said taking the paper towel from her and wiping her mouth, “I think the smell of the gas just overwhelmed me a little.”

“Get yourself some ginger ale. That will settle your stomach in no time.” The woman suggested with a smile.

“Thanks I think I will.” Emma told her then watched as the woman got into her car and drove away.

Emma went into the market and got herself a ginger ale and a couple bags of potato chips before she got back into her car and continued on her way.

_It was a beautiful day in Storybrooke as Emma made her way from the Inn to Regina’s bakery. She stopped when she spotted Regina and her father sitting on a bench by the water fountain in the town square._

_She headed over and stood by the bench, “Hi.”_

_“Hi.” Regina said with a smile._

_“Dad, this is Emma.” Regina said to him with a hand on his shoulder, “And Emma this is my dad, Henry.”_

_“Nice to officially meet you, sir.” Emma said to him._

_“How do you know that?” He asked her, squinting up at her as the afternoon sun beat down on him._

_“Um, excuse me?” Emma asked._

_“Dad….” Regina warned._

_“What?” He asked Regina, “She doesn’t know if it’s nice to meet me or not.”_

_“You’re right. I guess I shouldn’t just assume that.” Emma said and he looked at her, “But I know you’re Regina’s dad and I’ve seen you come into her shop so I thought, ‘How bad of a guy could he be when he has such a lovely daughter and he likes peach pie?’ So you’ll excuse my assumption.”_

_Henry smiled at her then looked at Regina, “I like her.”_

_Regina smiled at her dad then looked at Emma, “Yeah me too.”_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Memories are in Italic.
> 
> I do not own any of the songs mentioned in this chapter.

There was something about fast food that Emma loved. She loved a greasy burger and salty fries. She loved an ice cold sweet tea that had so much sugar in it your teeth were vibrating after drinking it.

She sipped her tea as she sung loudly with the radio, “Love was out to get me, no that’s the way it seems. Disappointment haunted all my dreams. Oh then I saw her face now I’m a believer. Not a trace of doubt in my mind. I’m in love ooooooooh I’m a believer. I couldn’t leave her if I tried!!”

Emma stopped her wailing long enough to shove some now cold fries into her mouth. Her greasy, salty fingers drummed on the steering wheel as she chewed and bobbed her head.

_Somehow Emma found herself in Regina’s apartment above the bakery. She was surprised by how spacious it was._

_“You make it a habit of inviting strangers up to your apartment?” Emma asked as Regina ducked into her bedroom._

_“You’ve been here almost 2 weeks.” Regina said from her room, “I don’t consider you a stranger anymore.”_

_She came out of her room with a smile on her face, “Besides I wanted to give this to you.” She said as she held out a small crystal swan figurine._

_“What’s this for?” Emma asked carefully taking the swan from her._

_“I got it a while ago when I was in Paris studying.” Regina told her, “I just thought it was so beautiful.”_

_Emma held the swan out, “I can’t take this.”_

_“Yes you can. I want you to have it.” Regina told her then brushed passed her as she went into the kitchen._

_“You sure this isn’t just some elaborate reason to bring me back to your place?” Emma asked with a smile._

_“If you remember correctly all I had to do was ask you to come up here.” Regina told her, “There was no mention of a gift.”_

_Emma looked the swan over; it was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand and carved to perfection._

_“Thank you.” Emma said to her with a smile._

_Regina smiled back at her then opened her fridge to grab two bottles of water._

_“You have a piano.” Emma said as she went over to it. She sat down on the bench lightly touched the keys._

_“It’s actually my dad’s. He can’t play anymore but I couldn’t bear getting rid of it.” Regina told her as came up alongside her and handed her one of the waters._

_Emma took a sip of her water then handed it back to Regina, “Do you know how to play?” She asked her._

_“No. My dad tried teaching me a few times but just lost patience with me.” Regina told her._

_Emma played a couple bars and Regina tilted her head, “I know that song.”_

_“Come sit by me.” Emma said and Regina set their waters down on the counter before sitting down next to her on the bench._

_“Okay put your hands over mine.” Emma said told her._

_Regina did and a sour note played._

_“Maybe not so heavy.” Emma told her as she nudged her with her shoulder, “Lightly. There you go just put your fingers over mine.”_

_Regina scooted closer to Emma and adjusted her fingers, “Now what?”_

_Emma started to play the same tune and Regina smiled as her fingers lightly went along with every key stroke._

_Her smile widened on her face when she realized what the song was, “Is this ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’?”_

_Emma smiled as she continued to play, “Yep.”_

_Regina closed her eyes, enjoying the beautiful music and Emma’s closeness._

_Emma hit the final note and Regina opened her eyes._

_“That was nice.” She said to Emma._

_Emma turned to look at Regina with a smile on her face. They were so close all one of them had to do was lean in just a little and…._

_A bell chimed._

_“Ooh gotta go.” Regina said as she slid away from Emma and stood up._

_“You have a doorbell?” Emma asked._

_“It’s to let me know someone’s come into the bakery.”_

_‘So damn close.’ Emma thought to herself as she got up._

_Emma followed Regina downstairs and into the bakery._

_“You know you really shouldn’t leave the place unlocked if you’re going to be upstairs.” A woman said to Regina as soon as she got behind the counter._

_“Why?” Regina asked, “Because just anyone can walk right in?”_

_“Precisely!” The woman said. Obviously the joke went right over the woman’s head._

_She was dressed like an old Hollywood movie star trying to hide from the paparazzi. She wore a floral patterned head scarf that covered all of her hair but her bangs. She had on large dark sunglasses and wore a royal blue dress that suited her Hollywood style persona._

_The woman pulled her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose and looked at Emma before looking back at Regina, “Who’s your friend?”_

_“This is Emma Swan.” Regina said to the woman._

_Emma gave the woman a little wave, “Hello.”_

_The woman took her sunglasses off then looked Emma up and down._

_“Hello Emma Swan.” She said as she extended her hand, “I’m Cora Mills.”_

_Emma shook the woman’s hand, “You’re Regina’s mother.”_

_“Among other things.” Cora said to her._

_“Mother, what can I do for you?” Regina asked as she put on her apron._

_“Can’t I just stop by to see how you’re doing?” Cora asked with a smile._

_“You can.” Regina said, “But you normally don’t.”_

_“I’ve come to ask you to dinner.” Cora said to her, “And your father requested something called Emma’s Heavenly Delight?”_

_She looked at Emma, “I supposed that has something to do with you?”_

_Emma gave her a sheepish smile, “They’re brownies.”_

_“So will you be coming to dinner tonight?” Cora asked Regina as she boxed up some brownies for her dad._

_“Yes Mother I will come to dinner.” Regina said as she put the box on the counter._

_Cora put her sunglasses back on, “Good. I will see you at 7.”_

_She took the box from the counter and was almost out the door before she turned around and looked at Regina, “And bring your friend.”_

Yes, as much as Emma loved greasy food she hated it when it came back up. She didn’t even make it to the next gas station. She pulled over and threw up on the side of a deserted road in the middle of the night.

She stood hunched over taking a deep breath in trying to settle her queasy stomach. With a grunt she stood up straight and walked slowly back to her car. She got in and sat behind the wheel for a good 10 minutes before she started the car and headed down the road.

Seeing a sign that told her the next gas station was only 5 miles was a relief to her and her upset stomach.

She pulled into the station and went inside the small convenient store. She grabbed herself a 7-UP and some saltines crackers before going to the register to pay.

“You need gas?” The clerk asked as he put her items in a black plastic bag.

“No.” She told him before paying and grabbing her bag.

Emma drove into the night as she munched her crackers and sipped her soda. She knew she would have to pull over eventually and get some rest but for now she pressed on.

_“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” Regina said to Emma._

_“Do you not want me to go?” Emma asked her._

_“I love my mother but sometimes she’s a bit much.” Regina told her, “I just don’t want her to scare you off.”_

_Emma snorted, “I’m not that easily scared off.”_

_“Okay.” Regina said, “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”_

_****_

_Emma met Regina in front of her bakery as planned and they walked to her parents’ house._

_Emma couldn’t keep the surprise off her face when she saw the size of the home. It was two stories, white with black trim and had a very large front yard filled with all sorts of trees._

_Regina just smiled as she rang the doorbell and waited._

_A woman wearing a maid’s uniform opened the door and smiled at Regina, “Mrs. Mills is waiting for you in the living room.”_

_“Thank you Cheryl.” Regina said as stepped inside. Emma followed and Cheryl shut the door behind them before she left them in the foyer._

_Regina took off her coat and hung it up then took Emma’s and did the same then they went into the living room._

_“Hello, Mother.” Regina said then went to her father who was sitting in an arm chair and gave him a quick peck on the cheek._

_He chuckled a little then smiled when he saw Emma._

_“Ah you brought your Emma.” He said to Regina. He placed his drink down on the table at his side then got up and went over to Emma and hugged her._

_Emma let out an uncomfortable chuckle as she hugged Mr. Mills._

_“I thought we’d have a drink before dinner.” Cora said as she went to the drink cart._

_“What would you like Ms. Swan?” She asked._

_“Um, a Scotch would be nice.” Emma told her as she and Regina sat down on the couch together. “And please call me Emma.”_

_Cora handed Regina a glass of white wine and Emma her Scotch before sitting down in an arm chair across from them._

_“So how did the two of you meet?” Cora asked Regina._

_“I rear-ended her.”_

_Cora looked confused, “Is that some kind of lesbian thing?”_

_Emma choked on her Scotch and Regina let out a laugh._

_“No, Mother.” She finally said, “I rear-ended her with my car while she was driving. It was an accident.”_

_“I see.” Cora said then looked at Emma, “Will you be in town for long?”_

_“Um, I don’t know.” Emma said as she cleared her throat, “Mulan is still working on my car and I really don’t have any plans till it’s finished.”_

_“Well perhaps you should consider staying for a bit.” Cora told her, “Storybrooke is a lovely town.”_

_Emma couldn’t help but glance at Regina, “It certainly is.”_

_They sat at the dining room table as servers placed their meal in front of them._

_Emma looked down at her plate. A small thick rounded piece of meat wrapped in bacon sat in the middle of it with red garlic potatoes and asparagus on either side of it._

_“This looks delicious.” Emma said as she picked up her knife and fork._

_Small talk was made throughout dinner. Emma found herself doing most of the talking though and it made her a little uncomfortable talking about herself. But she did find out that Cora was mayor of Storybrooke and that before his retirement, Henry was on the city planning commission._

_After dinner they sat in the living room to have dessert. Emma was doing her best to make sure she didn’t get brownie crumbs on the carpet. Henry on the other hand was working through his second brownie despite Cora’s disapproval._

_***_

_“It was very nice having you over for dinner.” Cora said to Emma as the group stood by the front door, “You must come over again some time.”_

_“I’d like that.” Emma said as she put on her coat and she meant it._

_Regina kissed her father on the cheek again then kissed her mother as well before she opened the front door and let Emma go out first._

_Henry put an arm around Cora as they stood in the doorway and watched the two women leave._

_“I think my dad likes you.” Regina said as they walked down the street._

_“I like him too.” Emma told her, “Your mother seems really nice.”_

_“She is.” Regina agreed, “Though she almost killed you with that lesbian comment.”_

_Emma let out a small chuckle, “Yes, well I’ll forgive her for it.”_

_Regina walked Emma back to the Inn and they stood outside in the brisk air._

_“So, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Emma said, not knowing what else to say._

_“That you will.” Regina said before she turned on her heels and walked away._

The blast of a train horn woke Emma from her sleep. She groaned as she sat up slowly in the backseat of her car. She smacked her lips as she looked around, though there wasn’t much to see other than farm land. She opened the door and got out. She stretched and yawned loudly before taking in a deep breath of the fresh morning air.

She got into the driver’s seat, started the car and got back on the road.

_Emma was heading over to Enchanted Delights when her cellphone rang. She pulled it from her pocket, “Hello?”_

_“What are you wearing?”_

_“Excuse me?” Emma asked as she looked around._

_There was laughter on the line and Emma was just about to hang up when the person said, “Sorry about that, It’s Mulan. Your car will be fixed and ready to go by tomorrow morning.” She told Emma._

_“Oh.” Emma said quietly._

_“You don’t sound too happy about it.” Mulan told her._

_“No, I am.” Emma lied, “Thanks I’ll be by in the morning.”_

_Emma stood outside the bakery for a few minutes before Regina opened the door, “Everything okay? You look like someone just told you that your cat died.”_

_Emma looked at her._

_“Oh please tell me someone didn’t just tell you your cat died?”_

_That got a small smile from Emma, “No, it’s nothing that serious.” She said then went into the bakery._

_“You know a town like this could grow on you.” Regina said after Emma told her that Mulan called._

_“The people are a little nosey and well my mother thinks she’s Queen but the rest of the people here are pretty decent and you could have fun here.”_

_Emma smiled then scoffed, “A little town like this? Yeah right.”_

_“Let me prove it to you.” Regina told her._

_“How?”_

_Regina smiled, “Come to the street fair with me tonight.”_

_“Is that what all the commotion is going on down the main street?” Emma asked._

_“I’ll buy you kettle corn and a hot dog.” Regina told her._

_“Now how can I say no to such an enticing offer?” Emma said with a smile._

_They agreed to meet later at Enchanted Delights and walk the main street together._

_***_

_“What’s all this for anyway?” Emma asked as Regina locked up her shop._

_“The nuns put this fair together to raise money for foster children.” Regina told her as she put her keys in her pocket._

_“Huh, that’s nice of them.” Emma said as she started to follow Regina down the street._

_Regina stopped at one of the many booths that were set up. This particular one required you throw a dart at inflated balloon that was pinned to a pegboard._

_“You have to play a few games before you’re rewarded with food.” Regina told Emma as she handed the man running the booth some money in exchange for 6 darts._

_Regina handed 3 of the darts to Emma and waited._

_Emma tossed a dart._

_It hit the backboard, completely missing any of the numerous balloons and fell to the floor with a clatter._

_“Shit.” She mumbled under her breath as she took aim with the second dart. She threw it a little harder and this time though it missed the balloons, it stuck into the board._

_Feeling confident now, Emma threw her last dart. The dart hit a red balloon bursting it with a dull thud as the dart stuck into the board._

_“YES!” Emma yelled._

_She looked at the man running the booth, “What’d I win?”_

_“Here you go.” He said and handed her a small rubber ducky._

_Emma was a little disappointed in her prize but she took it and thanked him._

_She turned to Regina, little ducky in her face, “Beat that!”_

_Each of Regina’s darts found their target and she walked away victoriously with her prize._

_“Are you going to wear that all night?” Emma asked as she looked at the small plastic tiara Regina wore in her dark hair._

_“You bet your ass I am.” Regina told her._

_After spending a couple hours playing games Regina finally took Emma to get her hot dog and popcorn._

_They sat down on one of the benches in the town square to eat._

_“Your town doesn’t seem too bad.” Emma mumbled with her mouth full._

_“Glad you’re starting to come around.” Regina said as she ate some of the kettle corn._

_They finished eating and Regina stood up, “There’s one more thing I want to do before we call it a night.”_

_“Uh okay.” Emma said then followed Regina till she stopped in front of a photo booth._

_She looked at Regina, “What are we, 16?”_

_“Shut up and come on.” Regina said as she grabbed Emma by the arm and dragged her inside the booth._

_They sat on the small bench and Regina fed the machine money._

_“Okay we only have a few seconds between pictures so let’s make this good.” Regina told her as she looked at Emma._

_“Oh, you have mustard on your cheek.” Regina said and without thinking used her thumb to wipe it off._

_The moment was forever captured as the small flash went off._

_“Smile for the camera Emma.” Regina told her and then gave her best smile to the camera._

_The second picture was Emma looking at Regina with a small smile on her face._

_They posed and made goofy faces but on the last picture Regina did something that caught Emma completely off guard._

_Without warning, Regina leaned over and kissed Emma’s cheek._

_Before Emma could say anything Regina hurried out of the booth and grabbed the small strip of black and white photos that printed out. She halved the pictures, the first three went to Emma and the last were for her._

_“Here.” Regina said handing her the pictures, “Something to remember me by.”_

_She smiled, “Good night, Emma.”_

_“Yeah, good night Regina.” Emma said as she absentmindedly put the photos in the breast pocket of her leather jacket._

_She watched Regina walk to her bakery, unlock the door and slip inside before she started to make her way back to the inn._

_The two of them had spent a lot of time together these last two weeks. They’d flirted back and forth so the kiss wasn’t totally unexpected in fact she’d been hoping for it but Emma wasn’t sure what to do now._

_No. Emma thought, No it was just a friendly kiss that’s all, a nice kiss on the cheek between friends._

_She tried to convince herself that it was nothing but as she walked back to the inn she knew, she knew there was something more going on._

_She stopped in her tracks and turned around, staring back at the street fair that was slowly coming to an end._

_She rushed back and knocked furiously on the bakery door hoping Regina would answer._

_She wasn’t sure what she was going to do when Regina came to the door but she didn’t have much time to think as a light turned on in the bakery._

_Regina unlocked the door and opened it, “Emma, what’s--?”_

_Without any more thinking, Emma moved in cupped Regina’s face and kissed her on the lips._

A car horn honked behind her and jarred Emma out of her thoughts. She let the driver pass her then blinked her tired eyes. She had been driving long passed when she should have. So she made a quick stop at a mini-mart then got back in her car to find a place to park for the night.

A song played on the radio and she hummed along.

So you can keep me  
Inside the pocket  
Of your ripped jeans  
Holdin' me closer  
'Til our eyes meet  
You won't ever be alone  
Wait for me to come home

She parked her car in a semi- secluded area off the side of the road before getting into the back seat and settling in. She pulled from the breast pocket of her jacket, the crinkled black and white photo strip of her and Regina. She stared at them until she fell asleep, a smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Memories are in Italic

_Emma broke their kiss and let Regina go._

_“See you tomorrow.” She said nonchalantly then turned and walked away leaving Regina standing in the open door dazed and confused._

_Emma’s heart pounded in her chest with excitement as she continued down the street to the Inn._

_She was thinking about the kiss when she went into the inn and shut front door behind her._

_“Have a good time?”_

_Emma jumped, “Jesus!”_

_“Nope, just Ruby.”_

_“You scared the living shit out of me.” Emma said to her._

_“Sorry.” Ruby said, “I thought you saw me sitting here.”_

_“I—No, I didn’t see you.” Emma stammered._

_“So, did you have fun tonight at the street fair?” Ruby asked again._

_The image of Regina flashed in her mind, “Yeah I did.” Emma said then smiled at her._

_“Glad to hear it.” Ruby said smiling back at her, “Good night, Emma.”_

_“Night Ruby.” She said before headed upstairs to her room._

Emma woke before the sun was up. She tucked the pictures back into her pocket before getting out of the backseat and stretching.

When she was fully awake she got into the driver’s seat and drove to the nearest super market and went inside.

She stocked up on a few items, water, ginger ale, crackers. She bought a jar of peanut butter, 2 bags of beef jerky, and huge bag of Lay’s Potato chips.

Big rain drops started falling and lightening streaked across the sky as Emma got into her car and continued on her drive. She opened the car window just a crack to let in the smell of the rain. A smile appeared on her face as she thought of Regina.

_The rain woke Emma in the morning. She wasn’t sure what time she finally managed to fall asleep last night but she knew she hadn’t gotten a lot rest. She sat up slowly and looked out the rain smeared window. Everything was grey. She looked at the clock on the table next to her bed, it was little passed seven in the morning._

_“Ugh.” She groaned and fell back against her pillows. She pulled the blanket up over her head and closed her eyes._

_The image of Regina’s beautiful but shocked face appeared in front of her. She was left speechless after Emma’s spontaneous kiss._

_The smile disappeared when she thought, ‘Now what?’_

_She threw the covers off of her and got out of bed. ‘No. You’re not going to talk yourself out of this.” She told herself, ‘Whatever this is.”_

_She showered and got dressed then went downstairs. Granny lent her an umbrella and she opened it out on the porch then walked over to Mulan’s shop._

_“Can’t keep away can you?” Mulan said as Emma came into the shop and closed her umbrella._

_“Oh yeah, I just longed to see you.” Emma said sarcastically._

_“You must be in a big hurry to come over so early.” Mulan said, “Shop’s not even open yet.”_

_“The door was unlocked.” Emma said turning to gesture to the door._

_“The door is always unlocked.”_

_Emma gave her a look._

_“It’s Storybrooke.” Mulan told her with a shrug of her shoulders._

_“Well I’m here now. Can I get my car?” Emma asked._

_“No.” Mulan told her, “I have a few more things to finish up with the body work.”_

_“You said you’d have it finished in the morning.” Emma practically whined._

_“Yes, well the morning isn’t over with yet now is it?” Mulan asked with a smile as she leaned against the counter, “Besides, this gives you more time to be with your smooching buddy.”_

_“My smooching buddy and I are none of your concern.” Emma told her and Mulan laughed._

_“Relax, Emma geez.” Mulan said, “All I’m trying to say is, just enjoy yourself while you’re here.”_

_Mulan told Emma the car should be ready in a few hours which gave Emma some time to do some soul searching as she walked in the rain._

_The soul searching didn’t last long as she absentmindedly ended up outside of Enchanted Delights._

_She stood in front of the big window, umbrella protecting her from the rain as she stared inside._

_“Emma?”_

_She turned to see the Sheriff and a woman with short black hair and a smile on her face standing there. He held a green umbrella over the both of them._

_“Hmm?” Emma asked._

_“Are you okay?”_

_“Um, yes, Sheriff I’m fine.” Emma told him._

_“David.” He said to her as if he knew she didn’t remember his name, “This is my wife Mary Margaret.”_

_“Oh so you’re the poor unfortunate soul whom Regina rear-ended.” Mary Margaret said._

_“Accidents happen.” Emma told her with a smile._

_“Were you going inside?” David asked her._

_“Uh yes.” Emma said, “I think I am.”_

_“Okay Emma, you have a good day.” He said to her as he took Mary Margaret’s hand._

_“Yeah you too.” Emma said as she closed her umbrella and slipped inside._

_“Strange girl.” Mary Margaret said as they walked on down the sidewalk._

_Emma walked up to the counter and Regina smiled at her, “And what can I get for you?”_

_Emma didn’t say anything as she walked around the counter and took Regina by the hand. She led her into the kitchen and pinned her against the fridge. She looked briefly into Regina’s eyes before a small grin crept across her lips as she leaned in and kissed her._

_Emma pulled back._

_Regina’s eyes were closed, “That wasn’t on the menu.”_

_Emma snorted, “No but it sure was tasty.”_

_Regina opened her eyes, “That was horrible.”_

_“My kissing?” Emma asked, “Because I’ve been told by many, many people that I’m a very good and conscientious kisser. Some said I was very generous, that I had the softest lips that ever graced theirs. I can provide you with n---.”_

_She was cut off by Regina’s lips on hers. A slight moan escaped as Regina slipped her tongue into her mouth._

_A timer dinged in the kitchen and Regina broke their kiss, “My muffins are done.”_

_“Yeah they are.” Emma said and leaned in for another kiss but Regina stopped her and laughed, “No, my muffins.” She said pointing to the oven, “They’re done.”_

_Emma snorted, “Oh.” She stepped out of Regina’s way and let her attend to her muffin situation._

_Emma looked around, “Where’s Tina?”_

_“Now you’re concerned on where my friend is?” Regina asked with a chuckle._

_“No I just….” Emma looked around, blushing slightly, “Does she know?”_

_“Know what? That I’m gay?” Regina asked._

_“No, that I kissed you.” Emma said, “Because people saw us last night, don’t ask me how but they did.”_

_Regina smiled as she went to the oven, “It’s a small town people always know everything.”_

_“And to answer your question, yes Tina knows.” Regina told her._

_“She’s my best friend.” She paused and looked at Emma, “Don’t tell Mulan I said that. But I talk to Tina about everything.”_

_“Oh.” Emma said._

_Regina smiled, “Don’t look so worried. I gave you great reviews.”_

_Emma laughed, “Thanks I think.”_

_Regina grabbed two pot holders before reaching into the oven to pull out the muffin tins._

_“I want to take you out tonight.” Emma said to her._

_Regina placed the muffin tins down on the counter to cool then she turned to Emma, “Like a date?”_

_“No, like I plan to make ya sleep with the fishes.” Emma said in her best Italian mob boss accent. Regina laughed._

_“Yes like a date.” Emma told her, “I haven’t decided where yet but I’ll pick you up after you close up shop.”_

_“You just assume I’m saying yes?” Regina asked her, “You didn’t even ask me properly.”_

_Emma went over to her, “Regina, will you please go out on a date with me tonight?”_

_Regina stood for a moment, silently thinking._

_Emma cleared her throat._

_“Eh, sure why not?” Regina said with a little shoulder shrug._

_“Well thanks.” Emma said then kissed Regina on the cheek, “See you tonight.”_

The storm got to be too much for Emma and she knew it wasn’t safe to continue on the roads. She found a safe place to pull over before rolling up her window and climbing into the back seat. She grabbed a ginger ale and the bag of potato chips.

She took a big gulp of the ginger ale and popped open the bag of chips. She sat listening to the rain beating down on the car and watched as the lightening flashed across the sky. Thunder rumbled somewhere off in the distance.

When she was little she used to love storms like this. She always wanted to run outside but her mom always told her it wasn’t safe. So instead she sat by the big bay window and watched as the storm raged on from the safety of her house.

“Fuck that.” Emma said as she set aside her chips and drink. She opened the car door and stepped out into the pouring rain.

She tilted her head back, her arms stretched out to her sides. She closed her eyes and let the rain pelt her face. She felt the rumbling of the thunder deep in her chest. Emma opened her eyes just in time to see a streak of lightening light up the sky in front of her.

She was completely soaked when she climbed back into the car. She changed out of her wet clothes and got comfortable in the backseat before falling asleep to the sound of the storm.

_It was still raining when Emma went to pick up her car at Mulan’s garage._

_“Thanks for all the work you put into it.” Emma said to her as Mulan handed her the keys._

_“It’s what I do.” Mulan told her, “But next time be a bit more careful who you stop in front of huh?”_

_Mulan winked and Emma gave her a grin before getting into her bug and starting it up._

_“I missed you.” She whispered quietly to her car before putting it in reverse and backing out of the garage._

_Emma drove over to the bakery. She got out of her car and opened her umbrella when she saw Mr. Mills walking down the street holding a bright blue umbrella with small white polka dots on it._

_She rushed to meet him half way. She closed her umbrella as she ducked under his, “Hi Mr. Mills.” She said to him._

_He chuckled, “Hello dear.”_

_“On your way to the bakery?” She asked him._

_“Rain will not stop me from having my pie.” He told her, “It will only stop me from eating it outside.”_

_Emma opened the door to the bakery and he closed his umbrella and stepped inside._

_“Look who I managed to run into.” Henry said to Regina as he walked up to the counter._

_“You walked here in the rain?” Regina asked him, concerned._

_“Ah.” He said waving her quiet, “You should see the little thing she drove up in. Trust me, I think I’m safer walking in the rain.”_

_“You got your car back?” Regina asked Emma._

_“Mulan finally finished the repairs.” Emma told her, “Plus I mean I needed a ride for tonight.”_

_“What’s tonight?” Henry asked Emma._

_“Uh I—Um…well.” Emma panicked and looked from Henry to Regina._

_“We’re going on a date tonight.” Regina told him._

_He looked at Emma, “That’s good. About time I say.”_

_“What?” Emma said quietly to herself._

_“Now, where’s my pie young lady?” He asked Regina._

_Emma sat in the bakery only for a little while before she said goodbye to Regina then headed out to make plans for their date. She was thankful that it had stopped raining._

_After she got everything in order she went home showered and changed into a pair of dark blue jeans, black boots and a blood red t-shirt before slipping on her black leather jacket and heading out the door._

_Emma had told Regina to dress comfortably and apparently she listened because when Emma went to pick her up she was wearing black jeans, high heel boots and a light purple sweater._

_“You look amazing.” Emma said to her._

_“Thank you. So do you.”_

_“So I was going to take you out of town, have dinner and all that but I found something a little more local.” Emma said as they walked towards the docks._

_“You were joking about the fishes right?” Regina asked her as they headed down the walk._

_“I rented a boat from some …. um very interesting guy.” Emma told her._

_“Let me guess, likes to show off his chest hairs, has more eyeliner on than Tammy Faye Baker and really likes to talk with his hands?” Regina asked then gestured around with her hands._

_“Yeah how’d you know?”_

_“That’s Killian.” Regina told her, “He’s a booty pirate.”_

_“Like, he goes out and finds treasure?” Emma asked confused._

_Regina laughed, “No, honey like he likes the men.”_

_“Ooooh.” Emma said finally getting it._

_She stopped walking and Regina turned to her, “Wait is everyone in this town gay?”_

_“No, not everyone.” Regina told her._

_“Couldn’t convert them all huh?” Emma asked as they continued to walk._

_“And I tried my hardest, damn it.” Regina said as she linked her arm with Emma’s and laughed._

_They arrived at the boat and Emma finally noticed the name. The Jolly Roger._

_“That’s an interesting name.” Emma said as she climbed onboard. She extended a hand out to Regina and helped her._

_“I hear it was named after a boyfriend who then became an ex.” Regina told her as she looked around._

_“Ah well hello ladies.”_

_They turned to see Killian standing by the helm._

_They gave him a little wave and Emma led Regina to the bow of the boat where Emma had set up a very comfortable sitting area. There was wine chilling in a bucket. Cheese, crackers and red grapes were arranged on a silver platter._

_“You did all this?” Regina asked her as she sat down in what seemed like a nest of pillows._

_Emma smiled, “Wine?”_

_“Of course.”_

_Emma poured each of them a glass of wine before putting the bottle back into the bucket and nestling in next to Regina._

_“Okay Bootybabe, let’s get this show on the road.” Emma called out to Killian who started the motor and they slowly pulled out of the docks._

_“Bootybabe?” Regina asked with a whisper._

_“It worked didn’t it?”_

_Killian called out a few points of interest as they sailed up the coast but the only thing Emma was interested in was Regina._

_Regina snuggled closer as Emma put an arm around her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the closeness and warmth._

_“Ah bloody fucking hell!”_

_Emma’s eyes snapped open and both women turned and looked back at Killian who was wiping something off his very fancy very low cut shirt._

_He looked up at them, “Do you know how hard it is to get seagull shit out of this kind of fabric?”_

_They turned back around, sunk down further into their nest and giggled._

_Regina put her head on Emma’s shoulder, “So tell me more about your life. About your parents, your dreams, what you aspire to be.”_

_“Aspire to be?” Emma asked, “That seems a little heavy on a first date doesn’t it?”_

_“Humor me.”_

_“My mother is a banker and she loves money. She loves earning it, spending it and rubbing the fact that she makes a shit-ton of it in other people’s faces.” Emma told her, “Imagine her disappointment when I told her I was going to follow my heart and studied music instead of becoming a banker like her.”_

_“She hated that I was more like my father than her.”_

_“Your father is a musician?” Regina asked._

_“He was. One of the best I knew.” Emma said, “His big dream was to one day become a conductor but he died a few years ago.”_

_“Oh I’m sorry to hear that.” Regina said to her._

_She gave Regina a squeeze, “Thanks.”_

_“Were your parents still together?” Regina asked._

_“Yeah. I mean they loved each other despite my mother being what she calls, ‘more ambitious’ but she loved my dad and that never seemed to change.” Emma told her._

_“My dad and I used to have jam sessions that would drive my mom nuts.” Emma told her with a chuckle._

_“We’d grab whatever instrument was near us. Bongos, the banjo, a violin, tambourine, guitar, just whatever was close and we’d go crazy.”_

_She sighed and Regina lifted her head up and looked at her, “You okay?”_

_“Oh yeah. I just need to get back to Boston soon for a visit I think.” Emma told her._

_Regina put her head back down on Emma’s shoulder, “So what about young Emma? You know before the big bad world came knocking and made her an adult?”_

_Emma snickered, “I had a normal childhood. No complaints really.”_

_“Are you saying you were a boring kid?” Regina asked, “Nose always in a book? Please tell me you weren’t a nerdy kid.”_

_“No, I wasn’t a nerdy kid and I got into my fair share of trouble.” Emma told her._

_“Like what? Not reading all the books on your summer reading list?” Regina asked with a snort._

_“Ha-ha.” Emma said, “No Ms. Smartyass, I mean like the police-have-to-bring-you-home-after-a-night-of-partying-too-hard-and-putting-glue-in-the-locks-of-several-doors-at-school kind of shit.”_

_“My best friend, Lily taught me how to pick a lock.” Emma told her, “She also taught me how to hotwire a car.”_

_“Why?” Regina asked._

_“Because you never know when you might need a getaway car after you break into the local movie theater to watch old movies on the huge screen.” Emma told her._

_“Jesus, what have I gotten myself into?” Regina asked, “What kind of little hellion are you?”_

_Emma laughed and tightened her cuddle-hold on Regina, “I’m not such a hellion anymore.”_

_“So what about young Regina? What was she like?” Emma asked her._

_“Young Regina was a good girl and never did anything to disappoint her parents.” Regina told her._

_There was silence between them for a few seconds._

_“I’m sorry I just find that really hard to believe.” Emma said._

_“You callin’ me a liar?” Regina asked as she lifted her head and looked at Emma._

_“Uh, … yes?” Emma said cautiously._

_Regina smiled at her, “You’re right.”_

_She put her head back down, “I wasn’t as rebellious as you seeing as there really wasn’t much to do in Storybrooke that would get you into trouble but I did my fair share of cow-tipping and boat stealing.”_

_“Cow-tipping and boat stealing?” Emma asked with a raised eyebrow._

_“We got all the way down to Montgomery Point before we were caught.” Regina told her._

_“We?”_

_“I had a very influential girlfriend at the time.” Regina told her, “Her name was Sadie and she was tall, blonde and had these brown eyes you could not resist even if you tried.”_

_“And what happened to this very influential girlfriend of yours?” Emma asked._

_“She moved away that summer we got caught and I haven’t heard from her since.” Regina told her, “And trust me it’s all for the best, because I think if she would have stuck around we’d probably have ended up in jail at some point.”_

_Emma laughed._

_“You’ve met my parents so you know how they are.” Regina said, “Mother always wanted to be in the spotlight, had dreams of making it big and becoming famous.”_

_“What stopped her?” Emma asked._

_“A wee but gorgeous baby by the name of Regina.” She said smiling, “My parents met in college and got married after graduation. She got pregnant with me 6 months after that.”_

_“She’s not resentful either. She became a star in her own way by becoming Mayor.” Regina told her._

_“Why did your dad stop playing piano?” Emma asked remembering their conversation that day in Regina’s apartment when she gave Emma the swan._

_“He developed arthritis in his hands. It slowed his playing down at first but eventually he said it was too painful to play.” Regina told her, “I think it was more painful for his heart than his hands that he couldn’t play the same anymore.”_

_Emma gave her a sympathetic smile and pulled her close and once again Regina rested her head on Emma’s shoulder._

_Killian stopped the boat then went down to the galley leaving Regina and Emma alone._

_They got up from their cozy spot and Emma grabbed a handful of crackers to throw for some of the dedicated seagulls that seemed to have followed them from Storybrooke._

_“So, now that you have your car, I imagine you’ll be heading home soon.” Regina said as she threw a cracker to a seagull who gracefully caught it in mid-air._

_“I don’t know.” Emma said as she took a bite of one of the crackers, “I thought maybe I’d stick around for a bit. I have nowhere I really need to be.”_

_Regina wanted to look at her but she didn’t want Emma to see the hopefulness in her eyes._

_Emma got closer and wrapped her arms around Regina’s waist and nuzzled her neck, “I know all this seems a little nuts and if I’m moving too fast for you please let me know because the last thing I want to do is scare you away.”_

_Regina slowly turned in Emma’s arms and kissed her on the lips._

_She pulled back and looked Emma in the eyes, “I’m not that easy to scare off.”_

When Emma woke up the rain had stopped and the skies were clear and blue. She got out of the car and stretched like she always did before getting into the driver’s seat and heading down the road.

Two miles before the next town the Bug made a funny noise, steam rose from the engine.

“No, no no.” Emma said, “Come on baby don’t do this to me.”

She started to pull the car to the side of the road as it chugged forward a few times then finally died.

Emma got out of the car cursing. She kicked the front tire and looked around before locking the doors and walked into town.

She found a local repair shop who towed her car back to the shop and the owner told her he’d store it for her till she could pay to get it fixed.

She thanked him then asked where the train station was and he pointed her in the right direction.

Emma grabbed her duffle bag filled with what little she had from the car and headed over to the train terminal. She paid cash for the ticket then waited for her departure time.

She sat down on one of the old wooden benches in the terminal and watched the clock. Her leg bounced nervously.

“You’re less likely to die in a train wreck than you are flying.”

Emma whipped her head to the left and there stood an older man with graying hair and a cane.

“What?” Emma asked.

Without waiting for an invitation the man sat down next to her, “There’s nothing to be nervous about.”

She gave him a small smile then went back to staring at the clock.

A moment passed and she looked at him, “Is that true? About the train and flying?”

The old man chuckled, “I have no clue. But it’s what I tell myself every time I have to get on a train to visit my grandkids.”

Emma gave him a polite smile and he smiled back at her.

“Ray Kenington.” He said holding out his hand.

Emma shook it, “Emma.”

“So Emma, where are you headed?” He asked her.

“Heading back East for a little vacation.” Emma told him. It wasn’t a complete lie. She was heading east but it wasn’t for a vacation.

“Ah.” He said, “I’m originally from New York but the Army took me everywhere.”

“My granddaughter is home visiting from college. So I thought I would make the trip to visit her.” He said, “Can you believe I have a granddaughter in college?”

“No, sir.” Emma said to him.

“Neither can I.” He said with a chuckle, “She spoils me though. Which should be the other way around I know but she does. And she makes the best damn, excuse my swearing, peach pie I’ve ever had, better than my wife’s God rest her soul.”

Emma’s heart skipped a beat when he said that. She zoned at after that, a thought of Henry came to her mind.

_“Nice day out isn’t it?” Emma asked as she sat down next to Henry who was sitting on a bench by the town fountain._

_He turned to her, “What are your intentions with my daughter?”_

_This caught Emma off guard._

_“Intentions?” She asked him._

_“Yes.”_

_“Um, well Sir…. Uh Henry, we’ve only been dating for two weeks, I think it’s a little soon to plan a wedding.” Emma joked._

_She looked at his face and he was serious._

_“I like your daughter very much and I have absolutely no idea where this is going but I want you to know that all I want to do is make her laugh and smile. I want to make her happy and I want her to feel safe.” Emma told him, “It’s the best I can tell you and the best I can do.”_

_Henry eyeballed her then said, “You might look at me and see an old man. Someone who’s feeble and not quite up to snuff but let me tell you something girlie, you hurt my Regina and you will wish you’d never met this old man.”_

_Emma had to admit she was a little intimidated._

_“I can only promise that I will do my best to never hurt her.” Emma told him._

_He looked at her then a small smile appeared on his lips. He patted her on the thigh, “That’s a good girl.”_

“The train is boarding.”

Emma blinked a few times then looked over at Ray, “Hmm?”

“The train is boarding now.”

“Oh.” She said then stood up and grabbed her bag.

“I hope you have a good visit with your granddaughter.” She said to him.

“Thank you.” He said with a smile.

Before she could turn to leave he took her by the arm, “Whatever it is, just know it’s all going to work out the way it should.”

She smiled at him politely, “It’s just a vacation.”

“Yeah, and trains are safer than flying.” He said then let go of her arm.

Emma gave him one last look before she turned and headed to her train.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the rights to any songs mentioned in this chapter. 
> 
> Memories are in Italic.

Emma got onto the train and found her seat. She stared out the window and watched as people moved to and from the terminal. People were greeting others as they got off the train, hugging and smiling. Others seemed to be saying goodbye with hugs and tears and strong pats on the back.

She thought about what Ray had said and it bothered her. He didn’t know anything about her. How could he be so sure that everything would work out?

She scoffed as she pulled her music player from her jacket pocket. She put her earbuds in and cranked the music up as she closed her eyes.

_“Are you dating me or my dad?”_

_Emma smiled at Regina as she returned the two plates she carried to the counter, “It’s just us eating pie and staring at the fountain.”_

_“What do the two of you talk about while you’re out there?” Regina asked taking the plates from the counter and putting them into a bin to wash later._

_“Just stuff.” Emma told her, “I mean I’ve learned a lot in the last 2 months.”_

_Regina glared at her, “He better not be telling you stories about me.”_

_Emma smiled then headed to the door, “See you later.”_

_***_

_Two months she’d been in Storybrooke now. She’d found a job teaching music at the school and managed to get herself an apartment. She was dating Regina, spending afternoons with Henry eating pie and talking and she’d go to the dinner at the Mills house every Sunday evening._

_But two months turned into ten and the routine was starting to wear on Emma. She started skipping dinners. Regina would tell her that Henry would ask where she was and teaching “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” to 6 years olds had lost its appeal._

_Storybrooke had lost its appeal._

_Early one morning she sat down by the docks and watched as a shipping boat left the harbor._

_Regina sat down next to her, “What are you doing up so early?”_

_Emma looked at her, “I couldn’t sleep and I didn’t want to wake you.”_

_“Something on your mind?”_

_Emma took the woman’s hand in hers then stared out at the water, “No.”_

_Regina looked at her, “Please Emma, tell me what’s going on. You’ve been acting strange for weeks now.”_

_“I’m tired.” Emma said quietly._

_“Then come back to bed.” Regina said to her with a tug at her hand._

_Emma looked at her, a tear rolled down her cheek._

_“That’s not what you meant.” Regina said quietly._

_And Emma shook her head no._

_“Let’s go somewhere, get away from Storybrooke for a while.” Regina said to her._

_“Then what?” Emma asked, “We’ll be back here and back to the same routine.”_

_Emma let go of Regina’s hand and stood up, “It’s the same thing day after day, and nothing changes in this town. The people, the places. It’s all the same thing.”_

_She turned to look at Regina, “Don’t you ever get tired of it?”_

_Regina stood up and went to her, “It’s my life Emma, so no I don’t get tired of it.”_

_Emma looked at her and saw the sadness that crept across her face._

_“I’m going back to bed.” Regina said then turned and Emma watched her walk away._

Take a piece of my heart  
And make it all your own  
So when we are apart  
You'll never be alone…

Emma hit the skip button on her player. She couldn’t listen to the whole song, not anymore. It reminded her of too much. She didn’t even know why she kept the song on her music player.

_Emma and Regina stood in the kitchen of the bakery having yet another argument._

_“I just don’t want to go to dinner, why is that so hard for you to understand?” Emma asked Regina._

_“You’ve missed 3 dinners in a row.” Regina said to her._

_“So what?!” Emma said, her voice rose, “Are they mandatory now?”_

_“Why are you acting like such an asshole?” Regina asked._

_Meanwhile out front, Tina was helping customers and smiling as the two women could be heard arguing._

_“Nice, just nice!” Emma said, “I’m an asshole because I don’t want to have dinner with your parents!”_

_Tina came through the doors, “You two want to keep it down?”_

_“Butt out Tina!” Emma said to her._

_“Hey!” Regina said, going to defend her friend but Tina held up a hand._

_She stepped up to Emma, “Listen, you may have half the town kissing your ass and thinking your shit don’t stink but I know you Emma, I know you’re kind and I’ve had you pegged from the start.”_

_“What the fuck does that even mean?” Emma asked her._

_“It means stop hurting my fucking friend or you’re going to regret it.” Tina threatened._

Emma glanced around the now moving train at all the people who sat near her. A tired looking woman with 3 kids who were practically bouncing off the wall was 3 seats down and across from her. A man in a business suit sat next to a pretty, young blonde woman Emma guessed was not his wife.

She turned slightly to her left to see an old couple sitting close to each other as they held hands. The old man would lean over whisper something in the woman’s ear and she would chuckle.

Emma looked around. Everyone on this train had some kind of story to tell and she couldn’t help but think if anyone wondered what her story was.

Emma knew her story wasn’t always filled with great moments. Sometimes she faltered and sometimes she made things worse for herself.

_“It’s was so nice of you to join us for dinner tonight.” Cora said to Emma as they all sat in the living room having coffee and dessert._

_“Yeah I’m sorry I haven’t been around lately.” Emma said to her then took a small sip of her coffee._

_“Has work been keeping you busy?” Cora asked._

_“Actually not really. It’s not that hard teaching the kids to play the recorder or tambourine.” Emma told her, “They kind of just do what they want and make a lot of noise.”_

_Henry chuckled at this then took a big bite of his slice of peach pie._

_“Perhaps there’s a different class you can teach at the school.” Cora said, “Something a little more challenging for you.”_

_“Actually I got job offer yesterday.” Emma said to her._

_“Oh that’s wonderful.” Cora said, “Somewhere in town?”_

_“Um,” Emma glanced over at Regina before looking back at Cora, “No it’s in San Francisco.”_

_“What?” Regina asked surprised. She’d been quiet during dinner and this was the first time she spoke up during dessert._

_Emma looked at her, “It’s at San Francisco State University. I was going to tell you.”_

_“Really?” Regina asked with a tone._

_“Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this here.” Emma said then turned and smiled politely at Cora._

_Emma thanked Cora and Henry for dinner before she and Regina left._

_They didn’t say a word to each other as Regina drove them to the bakery. They went upstairs and Regina turned on the lights. She then went to the fridge to get something to drink._

_“So, you’re not going to talk to me?” Emma asked her._

_Regina unscrewed the cap to her bottled water and took a sip then looked at Emma, “How did you get a job offer all the way across the country?”_

_“I applied for it.”_

_Regina scoffed, “What the hell Emma?”_

_She set her water bottle down on the counter, “I know you’ve been unhappy lately but you can talk to me, tell me what’s going on.”_

_“I can’t.” Emma said, her shoulders slumped._

_“Why not?” Regina asked._

_“Because I don’t even know what the hell is going on.” Emma told her, “I feel restless. I feel like I’m suffocating in this town.”_

_“So you think moving to San Francisco is going to help that?” Regina asked, “And what if you get bored there too?”_

_“And what about me Emma?” She asked, “I thought you … I thought you loved me.”_

_Emma went to her and took her hands in hers, “I do love you Regina.”_

_“But?”_

_“Come with me.” Emma said to her, ignoring the question._

_“What?” Regina asked._

_“Come with me to San Francisco.” Emma said._

_“My family, my bakery, my life is here Emma.” Regina said to her as she pulled her hands out of Emma’s._

_“You can start a new bakery there and we can come and visit your parents any time you want.” Emma said getting excited about the idea._

_“You expect me to give up everything I’ve worked hard for to go to San Francisco with you because you’re bored with Storybrooke?” Regina asked her._

_“It could be a new start for the both of us.” Emma said to her._

_“You are my new start Emma.” Regina said, “I don’t need or want anything else but that.”_

_Emma didn’t know what to say and Regina could see this._

_She scoffed, “And well, I thought you felt the same way but I guess I was wrong.”_

_“You weren’t wrong.” Emma told her, “I just…”_

_“When do you start the new job?” Regina asked, her tone was angry as she fought off tears._

_“I haven’t accepted it yet. I wanted to talk to you about it first.” Emma told her._

_“Oh…” Regina let out a bitter chuckle, “So nice of you to consider my feelings in this.”_

_“Why did you even come to Storybrooke?” Regina asked._

_“What?” Emma asked, confused by the question._

_“Why did you come here if you weren’t planning on staying?” Regina asked. She fought back hot tears that burned her eyes as she screamed at Emma, “Why did you let me fall in love with you if you weren’t going to stay?!?!”_

_Emma grabbed Regina by the shoulders, “Come with me then, please Regina come with me.” She begged._

_Regina pulled away from her, “I told you I can’t do that.”_

_She turned away from Emma, trying to calm herself down._

_“What am I supposed to do Regina?” Emma asked her, “What do you want me to do?”_

_Regina turned and looked at her. Defeat was etched all over her face, “Do whatever you want, Emma. It’s what you’re going to do no matter what I say.”_

The memory and the motion of the train made Emma queasy. She stood up quickly and looked around till she found the bathroom. She rushed to it and got inside just in time.

After throwing up, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her clammy and pale reflection stared back at her.

She rinsed out her mouth then left the bathroom and returned to her seat. She rested her head against the cool glass of the window and closed her eyes.

“Hi.”

Emma opened her eyes and turned to see a little boy with light brown hair and blue eyes standing near her, a smile on his face.

“Hi.” She said back to him.

“You look gross.” He said to her and she chuckled.

“Thanks.” She said to him, “I feel gross.”

“Benny, come over here, don’t bother the nice lady.”

Emma looked to see it was the tired looking women who’d called after her son.

“I hope you feel better.” He said to her before he skipped back over to his mother and sat down.

Emma closed her eyes again and took in a deep breath. When she opened them Benny was standing by her again.

“Mom said you might need this.” He said and held out a juice box for her.

Emma took the box, “Thank you.” She said to him then looked over at the mother and gave a nod of thanks to her.

She took the plastic off the tiny bendy straw and after multiple tries finally punctured the straw through the box top and took a long sip of the apple juice. She sat back, put her music back on, sipped and watched the landscape zip by her.

_She spent two night talking, arguing and crying with Regina but they couldn’t work things out. Nothing Emma said made Regina feel better and nothing Regina said could convince Emma to stay._

_They were both tired of fighting._

_Regina realized there was no use trying anymore._

_“Leave.” She demanded._

_Emma hesitated._

_Regina turned to look at her, tears in her eyes, “Just leave Emma.”_

_And that night she did._

_There were no goodbyes and the only thing she left behind was a broken heart._

Loving can hurt  
Loving can hurt sometimes  
But it's the only thing that I know  
When it gets hard  
You know it can get hard sometimes  
It is the only thing that makes us feel alive.

The music played softly in her ears as the train made its scheduled 1-hour stop to load and unload passengers.

Emma decided to brave the rain as she jogged from the train to the terminal. She went inside and hit up the snack machine. She popped open a bag of potato chips and stretched her legs by walking around the terminal.

She spotted a payphone and had to resist the urge to call Regina again. She left the temptation behind as she ran back through the rain and boarded the train.

When she got back to her seat she noticed that the little boy from earlier, Benny was asleep in her spot. His head rested against the window, his tiny mouth let out a small snore.

Emma turned to look over at his mother who was cradling a sleeping baby.

“I’m sorry.” She mouthed to Emma.

Emma gave her a little, ‘it’s okay’ wave and sat quietly across from Benny.

She turned her music up and eventually fell asleep.

_San Francisco felt like a breath of fresh air to Emma. A part of her was thrilled to be somewhere new starting over while the other part of her, the biggest part missed Regina._

_The temporary housing the university provided her was modest, nothing too flashy and what little she had she made due with. She took the weekend to get settled in making her apartment look more livable._

_Sunday night, the night before she started her teaching job she sat down on her bed and a sudden wave of sadness hit her._

_She was nervous and excited about her new job, about teaching what she loves to other people and yet the one person she wanted to share her excitement with wasn’t there with her._

_Emma sighed heavily then grabbed her cellphone and dialed Regina’s number. Her thumb hovered over the send button for what seemed like forever before she chickened out and turned off her phone. She tossed it on the bed next to her. What right did she have to miss Regina when she was the one that left?_

The train chugged forward and even though Emma was lost in her dreams, her journey back to Regina continued.


	6. Chapter 6

The train dropped her off at a terminal about 5 miles from Storybrooke just a little after sunset. She had waited at the terminal till the dead of night before walking from there and into town. It was eerie being in the town when it seemed everyone was at home in their beds and asleep. She was thankful though because she didn’t want anyone to see her, not before she saw Regina.

She stood across the street from the bakery, almost afraid to approach it.

She reached into the pocket of her jacket and took out the black and white photos. She stared at them and a small smile appeared on her face.

“You can do this.” Emma told herself as she put the pictures back into her pocket and picked up her bag. She walked across the street and knocked on the glass door.

She waited and Regina didn’t come downstairs. She didn’t want to break the door but she knocked harder.

Moments later a light flicked on and Emma could see Regina moving through the bakery.

The door pulled open and for a split second both women seemed stunned till Regina, without saying a word swung the door shut and locked it.

“Regina!” Emma called out, knocking on the door, “Please Regina! Open the door!”

The only response she got was the light turning off inside.

Emma slammed her hands against the door, “DAMN IT!” She shouted then rested her forehead against the door.

She lifted her head and knocked hard on the door again, “Regina, I’m not leaving till we talk!” She shouted, “I can stay out here all night!”

The light came on and Regina return to the door where she unlocked it then swung it open. She grabbed Emma by the arm and yanked her inside before shutting and locking the door.

She spun around and glared at Emma, “What the hell are you doing here?”

Emma couldn’t answer. She was too busy looking at Regina. Her hair was longer, she wasn’t wearing any make-up and her eyes blazed fire. She was angry and it looked as if she was going to kill Emma but she had never looked more beautiful.

Regina turned to walk away.

“I need to talk to you.” Emma said quickly as it was the first thing that came to her mind.

She wanted to tell her she’d missed her, never stopped loving her. She knew she’d made a mistake when she left and she was hoping now to fix things.

“Why should I give a shit?” Regina asked, “Why should I care that now you want to talk?”

“You walked away!” Regina yelled at her, “You made promises and you broke them when you walked away.”

I know that!” Emma yelled. She turned away from Regina and sighed before turning back around, “You don’t think I know what I did? You don’t think I know how badly I hurt you?”

“What do you want?” Regina asked, “You want forgiveness? Hmm? You want me to hug you and say ‘It’s okay I’m just glad you’re here now.’?

“You don’t know how many times I thought of you, how many times I wanted to call you or write to you.” Emma said.

“You thought of me?” Regina said in a mocking tone, “Oh well now isn’t that sweet?”

“You ran all the way back to this boring, claustrophobic town for what?” Regina asked, “Because you have this need to finally talk to me?”

“I needed to see you.” Emma told her.

“Well you’ve seen me, you can leave.” Regina said to her. “I don’t know what you’re looking for but you won’t find it here.”

She went over to the door, unlocked it and held it open.

Emma looked at her. She wanted to plead with her but what right did she have? So with shoulders slumped she slowly walked out the door.

The door shut and locked behind her. She turned around to see the lights turn off and the bakery go dark.

Emma didn’t know where to go. There was no other place to stay but the Inn and it was closed for the night. She wandered down to the docks and walked around.

She noticed only a few boats were still docked as she walked to a small bench and sat down. She could hear the water lightly lapping and it started to make her sleepy. She tried her best to stay awake for as long as she could but ultimately she fell asleep on the bench.

***

“Hey.”

Someone was shaking Emma’s shoulder.

“Hey.”

Emma slapped the hand of whoever was touching her and sat straight up, “Don’t touch me!”

“I think the Mayor frowns upon the homeless sleeping at the docks.” The man said.

Emma was disoriented as she looked at the man who was wearing black slacks, a red vest, shiny black dress shoes, a red tie and a black jacket.

“What?” She asked rubbing her eyes.

“There’s a shelter for the homeless if you need it.” The man said.

“I’m not homeless.” Emma said to him.

He looked at her then the bag of her things by the bench.

“Are you sure?” He asked her.

“Who are you?” Emma asked, “I don’t remember you.”

“Why would you?” He asked her.

“I used to live here.” Emma told him.

He held out his hand, “Hello. I’m Archie and I’m a fairly new resident to Storybrooke.”

Emma looked him over more carefully. He wore glasses, had reddish hair and a nervous smile.

“Emma.” She said then shook his hand before she stood up, “Nice to meet you.”

“What time is it?” Emma asked as she grabbed her bag.

He checked the watch on his wrist, “7:32 am.”

“Thanks.” She said then rushed passed him.

She went to the Inn and Ruby dropped the book she was reading when she saw Emma.

“Holy shit.” She kept repeating under her breath

“Look, I don’t have time for your mini-meltdown right now in my presence.” Emma told her, “I need a room.”

She pulled out a wad of cash and sifted through it before leaving the money on the counter and taking the key Ruby held out to her.

She went up to her room, tossed her bag on the bed then left shutting and locking the door behind her.

Before Emma could get out the front door Ruby grabbed her by the arm and stopped her.

“Emma, what are you doing back here?” She asked.

“I promise you we’ll talk but right now I need to talk to Regina.” Emma told her then pulled her arm free and headed out the door.

Emma knew heads turned when they saw her walking down the street but she didn’t have time to pay them any attention.

“Don’t even think about it.” Tina said as she stepped in front of Emma blocking her from the door.

“Get out of my way Tina, this has nothing to do with you.” Emma told her.

“You hurt my best friend.”

“So now what? You’re going to hurt me?” Emma asked her.

“She doesn’t want to see you and she doesn’t want to talk to you.” Tina told her, “She’s gotten over you and you mean nothing to her anymore. She is so much better now without you.”

“Just turn around and leave while you still can.” Tina said, “We all know how good you are at that.”

Emma stepped forward getting in her face, “I liked you better when you were quiet and didn’t have an opinion on things that have absolutely nothing to do with you.”

Emma pushed passed her and without hesitation swung the door open to the bakery and stepped in.

Only one customer was in the shop. He sat at a small table sipping his coffee and he looked up at Emma when she came in.

“You’re not welcome here anymore.” Regina said to her as she carried one of the tubs with dishes towards the kitchen.

Emma followed her, “I know that no matter what I say to you it’s not going to make up for the fact that I left but you have to know I’m sorry.”

Regina slammed the tub down by the dishwasher breaking a glass inside.

“You’re sorry?” Regina scoffed as she looked at her, “Well if you’re sorry I guess that makes everything okay now, right?”

“No, I didn’t say that.” Emma said, “Can you please just stop with the sarcasm and let me try to explain?”

Regina stared at her and Emma continued.

“I thought getting out of this town would help but it didn’t. I was in San Francisco and I was more miserable than I ever thought I could be.” Emma told her, “I tried calling you countless times, I picked up the phone dialed your number but I could never hit send.”

“Because what could I say?” Emma said, “Nothing I could have said would have matter and I knew that.”

“And you think what you have to say now would matter to me?” Regina asked, “Because things didn’t work out in the big city and you’ve come back with your tail between your legs?”

She stepped closer to Regina who automatically took a step back. “I’m here to apologize.” Emma told her.

“I don’t want to hear it.” Regina said to her as she picked broken glass from the tub.

“Regina….”

“You’re not supposed to be in the kitchen.” Regina said without looking at her, “Please leave.”

“How am I supposed to make things right if you won’t let me?” Emma asked.

“Please leave or I’ll call David and he’ll remove you for me.” Regina told her.

Emma nodded her head, “Okay, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy but I’m not giving up.”

Emma left the kitchen and the bakery and went to the diner.

People turned and stared at her as she sat down at the counter.

Granny came out of the kitchen told everyone to mind their own business then approached Emma.

“I think everyone’s a little surprised you’re back in town.” She told Emma, “Frankly I didn’t think you’d have the balls to come back.”

“Uh, okay.” Emma said as she watched Granny walked back into the kitchen.

Emma ordered and ate her breakfast as peacefully as she could which was hard to do when others were staring and murmuring around her.

After breakfast Emma went back to her room, showered and changed and then headed back to the bakery.

She ordered a piece of pie and even though Regina didn’t want to, she served her anyway.

Emma sat down at the small table she’d sat at when she first came to Storybrooke. She ate her pie slowly and waited for a lull in customers so she could talk to Regina again.

She looked up at the clock and realized Henry should be coming in any minute now for his slice of peach pie and a smile appeared on her face thinking about him.

***

She had waited an hour and still no Henry. This confused her because the man was like clockwork when it came to his pie.

She got up from the table and went outside. She looked up the street but didn’t see him. She then headed over to the small wooden bench by the fountain he’d always sit at.

A small bronze plaque was attached to the bench. Emma got closer to read it: In Memory of Henry R. Mills.

Tears welled in Emma’s eyes. She looked around as if someone was playing a joke on her and Henry would be making his way down the sidewalk to the bakery.

She sat down slowly on the bench and stayed there as tears ran down her cheeks.

***

Emma didn’t know how long she’d sat there but she finally looked around and realized that the sun was going down. She turned towards the bakery, the lights were still on and the last remaining customer was heading out the door.

She got up, wiped the dry tears from her face and stormed into the bakery. She was about to yell at Regina when she saw the slice of peach pie, extra whipped topping sitting on the counter.

“Why didn’t you call me?” She asked quietly to Regina who took the plate from the counter.

“What good would it have done?” Regina asked her.

“I could have said goodbye…” Emma said to her.

“You didn’t bother the first time.” Regina said to her, “Why should goodbye matter now?”

Emma was fighting back her tears and anger.

“I loved him.” Emma said quietly.

“You loved me too but you left us both.” It was said out of hurt not anger.

Emma clenched her jaw. She didn’t want to say something she’d regret later so she did the only thing she could and that was turn around and walk out the door.

Word spread quickly that Emma was back in town and everyone was curious as to why.

People would ask her in a roundabout way but Emma didn’t explain to anyone. The only person who needed an explanation was Regina.

She spent almost two days in her hotel room avoiding as many people as she could before she finally went back to the bakery.

“I don’t know why you keep showing up here.” Regina said as she walked passed Emma who was sitting at a table, “I don’t want to talk to you.”

Emma caught Regina by the arm as she passed by a second time and Regina looked down at her, “Tell me what happened to Henry.”

“He had a massive heart attack on his way here.” Regina told her, “There was no saving him.”

Emma looked into her eyes, her hand slid down Regina’s arm and she took her hand, “I’m sorry.”

Regina cleared the lump from her throat, “Yeah, me too.” She pulled her hand out of Emma’s then headed into the kitchen without a look back.

****

Of all the people that could have sat down across from Emma while she ate dinner at the diner she never expected Mary Margaret to be one of them.

Emma put her burger back down on her plate then wiped her mouth with her napkin, “Hello Mary Margaret.”

“Hello.” She said to her with a smile.

“Do something for you?”

“Actually I think I can do something for you.” Mary Margaret told her.

Emma leaned back in her booth, “Oh and what’s that?”

“I don’t know the details as to why you’re back in town and I don’t need to know.” Mary Margaret told her, “I do suspect that things between you and Regina are more than strained and she can be a little stubborn.”

“And?”

“And I’m guessing you’ve been met with nothing but resistance from her.” Mary Margaret said, “And I want to help.”

“Why?” Emma asked, “Why would you help me?”

“The 10 months you were here were the happiest I have ever seen Regina.” She said then gave Emma a small smile, “I know you can make her that happy again.”

“All I’ll do is hurt her again.” Emma said looking down at her plate.

“If you believed that you wouldn’t be here and you wouldn’t be trying so hard.” Mary Margaret told her, “So a little tip for you, at 10pm every Friday Regina goes to the movie theater for the last showing.”

Mary Margaret slid out of the booth and looked down at Emma, “And in case you didn’t know today’s Friday.”

She gave Emma a pat on the shoulder before leaving Emma to finish her dinner.

***

Emma had no real plan of attack as she bought a ticket to the only movie, a black and white film playing at 10pm at the small theater.

She bought herself a small bucket of popcorn then headed into the dark theater.

6 people were scattered in the seating and she easily spotted Regina who was sitting near the back.

She moved to the row behind her and sat down low in her seat.

After the previews the movie started and Emma leaned forward.

“If I could change what I did, I would.” She whispered.

Regina turned around, “Emma, what the hell?” She whispered, annoyed.

“You don’t just sneak up behind someone and whisper weird things in their ear!” She tried not to raise her voice.

Emma held back a smile but Regina’s annoyed face was still as cute as ever.

She climbed over the seats, spilling some of her popcorn on the floor. She sat down next to Regina.

“I can admit when I’ve made mistakes Regina.” She said, “And leaving you, leaving Storybrooke was a mistake.”

“It took you 8 months to realize this mistake?” Regina asked quietly, “Admit it, the only reason you came back was because you’re running from something.”

“No, I wanted to come back sooner and I should have but I made a commitment to the school and I couldn’t just leave.” Emma told her.

“And what about the man you left behind?” Regina asked.

Emma’s eyebrows went up in surprised.

“I assumed there was a man involved, especially if you’re in trouble.” Regina told her.

“I told you I’m not in trouble and as far as the guy, it was nothing like that. He was a roommate and nothing more. He doesn’t matter. He never did.” Emma told her.

“Sure, till the problems you’re having blow over and you’re free to go back.” Regina said then turned her attention back to the movie.

“That’s not going to happen.” Emma said, a little louder than she intended.

“Shhhhh.” Someone said.

“Oh shhhhh yourself.” Emma said back to the darkened figured, “She dies in the end anyway.”

“Emma!” Regina said quietly grabbing her arm to keep her quiet.

The figure got up and stormed out of the theater.

Emma looked at her, “I know I’ve given you no reason to believe anything I have to say but I am sorry. I’m sorry I left, that I didn’t say goodbye, that you lost your father.”

A light flashed in Emma’s eyes, “Ma’am I’m going to have to ask you to remove yourself from the theater.”

Emma looked up, “Why?”

“You are disturbing the people in the theater.” The usher said.

“Where’s the little tattle-tail?” Emma asked as she looked around.

“Ma’am please?”

Emma turned back to Regina, “I will apologize to you every day if that’s what it takes.”

The usher took Emma by the arm, “Ma’am, let’s go.”

She got to her feet and the usher pulled on her arm, “Okay asshole, I’m going.”

She looked back, “Every day, Regina.” She said before exiting the theater.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own the rights to the song mentioned in this chapter.

In the morning a knock at the door woke Emma.

“Comin’” She said as she literally rolled out of bed. She stood with a groan then went to the door.

She opened it and was surprised to see Regina standing there.

“I’m getting this strange feeling that you’re lying to me. That maybe you are in some kind of trouble and that’s why you really came back.” Regina said to her.

Emma rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times. She let Regina in and closed the door behind her.

“Careful, it almost sounds like you care.” Emma said to her.

“I care about this town and I don’t whatever crap you’re in coming here.” Regina told her, “That’s it.”

“I told you why I’m here.” Emma said, “But if you must know the guy I was living with was skimming money off his boss who was using the bar he owned as a front to launder money. I didn’t want to get caught up in anything and it gave me the perfect reason to get the hell out of there.”

Emma paused and looked around, then sniffed, “What is that smell?”

Regina looked at her, “What smell?”

Emma took a step closer to her, “It smells like …”

Her stomach lurched and she ran to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Moments later Regina heard the faucet turn on and she went to the bathroom door, “Are you okay?”

“Just peachy.” Emma groaned then opened the door.

“You look like hell.” Regina said to her.

Emma chuckled, “Thanks.”

“So are you sure this thing with your ex isn’t making its way to Storybrooke?” Regina asked.

“He’s not my ex.” Emma insisted as she sat down on her bed, “And yeah I’m pretty sure.”

“No one knows about Storybrooke but the University.” Emma told her. She closed her eyes for a minute as that would help settle her stomach, “And I don’t work for them anymore.”

“Did you get fired?” Regina asked.

“No after the school year was over I told them I wasn’t coming back.” Emma told her, “I … I just needed to be here.”

Emma felt Regina sit next to her on the bed then a hand rested on her back.

“You’re hot.”

“Um, thank you?” Emma said to her.

“No, I mean I think you’re running a fever.” Regina said as she brushed the hair from Emma’s forehand and placed her hand there.

“Could be.” Emma mumbled.

“How long have you been feeling like this?” Regina asked and Emma shrugged her shoulders.

“On and off for about a week, maybe more.”

“Get back in bed and I’ll have Ruby bring you some soup.” Regina said as she stood up, “I’ll come by later to check on you.”

“Are you going to nurse me back to health?” Emma asked as she laid down not bothering to get under the covers.

“It’s just soup and to make sure you’re still breathing.” Regina said as she went to the door, “Don’t put too much thought into it.”

Later when Regina came to check on Emma she was completely knocked out. Two empty bowls sat on the side table so at least Regina knew that Emma had eaten something.

She leaned in close to see if Emma was still breathing and a loud snore escaped Emma’s lips and startled Regina so much that she yelped.

She clutched at her chest and took in a calming breath, “Stupid ass.” She whispered quietly though she wasn’t sure if she was talking to Emma or herself.

Regina opened the door quietly.

“You’re leaving?”

Regina turned around to see Emma looking at her. The light from the hallway shined a strip of light across her face.

“Go back to bed.” Regina told her, “It’s just a little bug. I’m sure you’ll be better in a day or two.”

“Thank God.” Emma said as she rolled over and turned on the side table lamp. She groaned when the light pierced her eyes.

She tossed the covers off of her and slowly sat up.

“You should really stay in bed.” Regina said, her hand still resting on the open door.

“I can’t.” Emma said, “I’m icky and sweaty and I’m tired of being in bed.”

She stood up and made sure she was steady on her feet, “I’m going to go take a shower.”

She trudged slowly towards the bathroom then looked back at Regina, “Will you stay here? Just to make sure I don’t pass out and die in the shower?”

Regina sighed then shut the door, “I’ll stay.” She went and sat down in one of the arm chairs, “But only to make sure you don’t die.”

“Thanks.” Emma said then went into the bathroom and shut the door.

She spent as long as she could in the shower hoping the hot water would wash away how crappy she felt.

She got out, toweled off then got dressed in a faded red t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She opened the door to the bathroom and the steam billowed out.

Emma saw that Regina was still sitting in the arm chair.

“All better?” Regina asked looked at her.

Emma shrugged her shoulders then sat down on her bed, “I guess. I mean I feel less icky.”

“Good.” Regina got up and headed for the door. She opened it, “Get something to eat then get more rest.”

Emma watched as Regina slipped out the door then closed it behind her.

***

At the diner Emma sat in a booth near the back and Ruby brought her a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup.

“You looked like death earlier.” Ruby said as she brought Emma a cup of hot tea, “Glad you’re looking a bit better.”

“Thanks for the soup before.” Emma said to her.

Ruby hesitated at the table then looked around before she slid into the seat across from Emma, “Did you escape from prison or something? Is that why you’re in town? To hide out?”

Emma almost shot soup out of her nose, “What? NO!” She said as she put her spoon down.

“Ruby, I’m here to make things right with Regina.” Emma told her.

“What about everyone else?” Ruby asked her.

Emma looked up at her and saw sadness in her eyes.

“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone when I left Ruby.” Emma told her, “You were a good friend to me and I took you for granted and for that I am truly sorry.”

“What are you two yapping about?” Granny asked as she came over to Emma’s table.

“I was just telling Ruby how sorry I am for the way I left.” Emma said then stood up, “And I want you to know that I’m sorry if I hurt you too Granny.”

Emma leaned in to hug her and Granny put a hand up stopping her, “Don’t even think about it.”

Emma gave her a questioning look.

“Thank you for the apology that’s all I needed.” Granny said, “But if you still feel compelled to hug someone …” She said then pushed Ruby closer to her before she walked away.

Emma chuckled and gave Ruby a hug.

After Emma’s dinner she took a walk and ended up at Henry’s bench. She sat down and stared at the fountain and smiled.

“You know, I think one of the reasons I liked you so much was because you reminded me of my dad.” Emma said out loud, “He was kind, goofy and serious all in one and he was always so supportive of me.”

Emma sighed, “I’m sorry I broke my promise to you about not hurting Regina.”

“But people can change. They can learn from the bad decisions they’ve made.” Emma said, “They just need the chance to make things right.”

“I know I don’t deserve it Henry but please tell your daughter I need a second chance.” Emma said as she closed her eyes, “Because I really do love her.”

Despite the fact that Emma still wasn’t feeling 100% she went to the bakery and sat at one of the tables. Regina brought her a cup of tea.

“I didn’t order this.” Emma said to her.

“Drink it anyway.” Regina said as she walked back over to the counter.

“It’s not poisoned is it?” Emma asked picking up the mug and giving it a sniff.

Regina didn’t answer as she went into the kitchen.

Emma sat sipping her tea cautiously and watching as people came and went with their goodies.

She ducked her head and mumbled, “Shit.” when she saw Mulan in her grey coveralls walk in.

“Well well well.” She said as she sauntered over to Emma and sat down across from her, “You’re in town for 4 days now and you can’t bother to come and see your favorite Storybrooke mechanic?”

“You’re the only Storybrooke mechanic.” Emma said to her as she put down her empty cup.

“You know Regina never told us why you left.” Mulan said as she leaned back in her chair, “People were coming up with some crazy ideas on why you left.”

“Oh?” Emma asked, “And what idea did you have?”

“I thought you ran off and joined a nunnery.” Mulan told her, “You know since you couldn’t truly be with me you decided to run off with the nuns.”

“Convent.” Emma said to her.

“What?” Mulan asked.

“It’s called a Convent, not a nunnery.”

“I knew it!” Mulan said, “Mary Margaret owes me 20 bucks!”

Before Emma could correct her or say anything more Mulan got up and headed out the door.

People stopped trickling into the bakery and Emma got up and headed to the counter, “Can we talk?”

“No.” Regina said as she moved a tub of dirty dishes onto a cart.

“You weren’t this stubborn before.” Emma said to her.

“I wasn’t as hurt before either.” Regina told her as she pushed the cart towards the kitchen.

Emma started to follow her but Regina turned around, “Don’t.” then she disappeared into the kitchen.

***

In the morning Emma stood outside the flower shop, Tiptoe Through the Tulips and waited for Leroy to open up.

She liked Leroy he was a shorter man with a scratching looking beard, a gruff voice and a scowl on his face but damned if he didn’t make up the best flower arrangements.

“What do you want?” He asked Emma as he opened the door.

“Flowers.” Emma told him as she stepped in behind him.

“No shit Sherlock.” He said as he went behind the counter, “I’m guessing you have something in mind though, perhaps an “I’m sorry I ran out on you and broke your heart’ arrangement or maybe a, ‘Sorry I was an asshole please take me back’ bouquet?”

“Yeah a mixture of those two.” Emma said to him as she filled out a card to go with the flowers.

He told her he’d deliver them as soon as the arrangement was ready.

She paid then left, a smile on her face.

“Hey.” Emma said as she walked into Mulan’s shop and found her under a car tinkering with something.

Mulan rolled out from underneath the car and looked up at Emma, “Finally got me where you want me huh? Flat on my back with nowhere to run?”

“You know I love Regina right?” Emma asked as Mulan slowly got up, “That she’s the only one I want?”

“A girl can flirt can’t she?” Mulan said, “No harm in that.”

She wiped her hands off, “So what’s up?”

“First I need to say something and I need you to just listen to me without making a joke or turning it into something sexual.” Emma told her.

“I will do my best.”

“When I lived here you were a good friend to me. Maybe one of the best I’d had in a while.” Emma said then cleared her throat, “I know the way I left was pretty shitty and that I may have hurt you when I did.”

Mulan stuck her hands into the pockets of her coveralls.

“I want you to know that I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry for not telling my best friend goodbye and for not contacting you while I was gone.”

“So, what am I supposed to say to that?” Mulan asked as she took a step closer to Emma, “Am I supposed to throw my arms around you and cry and be happy you’re home now?”

Emma was confused by Mulan’s reaction.

Mulan broke into a smile and punched Emma in the arm, “Stop being such a wimp.”

“Ow.” Emma said as she rubbed her arm.

“Look, I’m not going to get hung up on that.” Mulan told her, “You’re here now and that’s what matters.”

Mulan turned around to go back to the car she was working on, “Just try sticking around this time. Because despite this tough exterior and the awesomeness I exude I’m really kind of sensitive and I tend to miss my best friend when she’s gone.”

“You want to hug it out?” Emma asked her arms outstretched as she stepped to Mulan.

“What did I tell you about being a wimp?” Mulan asked putting her fists up to fend off Emma’s approaching hug.

“Okay, okay.” Emma said dropping her hands, “I won’t hug you.”

“Thank God.” Mulan said to her. She leaned back against the car, “So what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to get Regina to forgive me so we can be together again.”

Mulan rolled her eyes, “I meant at my garage Emma. Can you get your head out of Regina’s ass for a minute please?”

“Oh well I need a car, a loaner.” Emma told her.

“What happened to the Bug?” Mulan asked.

“It died somewhere near Chicago.” Emma told her.

“And you just left it there?” Mulan asked, horrified.

“Well I couldn’t bring it on the train with me.” Emma told her, “I left it at a shop and they’ll keep an eye on it till I can send them money to fix it.”

Mulan sighed in disappointment, “Follow me.” She said and waved Emma to follow.

Emma followed Mulan out to the back of the garage, “Just fixed it up.”

She handed Emma the keys and Emma looked for the car, “Fixed what up?”

“The car right there.” Mulan said pointing at a small red two door car.

“That’s not a car, that’s a teacup.” Emma said as she went over to it.

“It’s a Fortwo, it’s a smart car.” Mulan told her.

“Obviously not smart enough to be a real car.” Emma mumbled.

“It’s all I got.” Mulan told her.

Emma unlocked the car door and opened it, “I’m sorry. Thank you.”

****

She parked the car out in front of the bakery and got out. She was just about to head inside when she saw Granny coming out of the bakery with a bouquet of flowers. In fact it was the same bouquet that she had just picked out earlier this morning with Leroy.

“Hey what are you doing with Regina’s flowers?” Emma asked her.

“Regina just gave them to me.” Granny told her

“But I bought those.”

“Well then I guess I should thank _you_ for them.” Granny said then continued down the sidewalk.

Emma went into the bakery and right up to the counter, “You gave away the flowers I sent you?”

“Oh, I’m sorry were those from you?” Regina asked as she moved down the counter.

“There was a card Regina.” Emma said, “It said, ‘With all my love, Emma’.”

“It did?” Regina asked, “Hmm, well….I don’t know. Those flowers just seemed too pretty to sit in my small little bakery.”

“But they aren’t too pretty to sit at some greasy spoon diner!?” Emma asked annoyed.

“I’ll be sure to tell Granny how highly you think of her diner.” Regina said as she stepped to the cash register to take money from a customer.

“As you can see, I’m a little busy right now so I can’t really talk to you about flowers.” She said to Emma as another customer came up.

Emma stood for a moment a little bewildered then turned on her heels and headed out the door.

***

Two days passed and Emma hadn’t been in the bakery and Regina was relieved. She’d thought that Emma had given up.

She was wrong.

Regina was on her lunch break and decided to get an ice cream cone and sit out on the park bench.

She walked down to Your Sundae Best and went inside.

“Hi, can I get a double scoop of Maple Walnut in a waffle cone please?” She asked the worker behind the counter, whose back was to her.

She dug through her pocket and pulled out the money then looked up and just about fainted.

In front of her there stood Emma with an ice cream scoop in one hand. She was wearing a white apron, a hairnet and a white paper overseas hat.

“What the hell are you doing?” Regina finally managed to ask.

“I work here.” Emma said then grabbed a waffle cone.

“No you don’t.” Regina said.

“Yes I do.” Emma told her as she scooped a generous amount of Maple Walnut and put it on the cone.

“Been here for two days now.” Emma told her as she went in for a second scoop.

“Why?” Regina asked.

“Because that’s the schedule. Duh.” Emma said as she put the second scoop onto the waffle cone, “I’m off tomorrow though.”

“That will be $5.56 please.” Emma said as she handed Regina her cone then went down to the register.

Regina handed her the money and Emma handed her back her change, “Thank you and you have a wonderful day, Regina.”

Regina took a lick of her ice cream and stared at Emma for a second.

“You look stupid in that hat.” She said then turned and went out the door.

***

Late that evening Emma stood outside the bakery around 10pm with a guitar strapped around her.

She strummed and made sure her fingers were in place before she cleared her throat and began to sing.

And even as I wander  
I'm keeping you in sight  
You're a candle in the window  
On a cold, dark winter's night  
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

She looked up at Regina’s darkened window as she continued.

And I can't fight this feeling anymore  
I've forgotten what I started fighting for  
It's time to bring this ship into the shore  
And throw away the oars, forever….

A dog started to howl and Regina’s light turned on. She opened the window and looked down.

Emma smiled up at her as she continued to sing off key.

Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore  
I've forgotten what I started fighting for  
And if I have to crawl upon the floor  
Come crashing through your door  
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore…

Regina ducked back into the window for a moment and Emma could see her on the phone.

My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you  
I've been running round in circles in my mind  
And it always seems that I'm following you, girl  
Cause you take me to the places that alone I'd never find

'Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore  
I've forgotten what I started fighting for  
And if I have to crawl upon the floor  
Come crashing through your door  
Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymoooooreeeee.

Emma held on to that last note for as long as she could before finally losing breath and stopping. She looked up at Regina and smiled.

Regina gave Emma a small wave then shut the window and turned off the light.

Moments later David drove up in his police car and put the spotlight on her. He stepped out of the car and went over to her.

“I’m going to have to arrest you.” He said to her and she thought he was joking till he pulled his handcuffs out.

“For what?” Emma asked as David put the handcuffs on her.

“Disturbing the peace and possible feline strangulation at least that’s what the report said.” He told her, “But I’d have to speak to the cat first.”

“What?” Emma asked confused.

David just chuckled as he put her into the back of his police car.

He took her to the station and after filing paperwork and making her promise to NEVER sing in public again she was released.

The next morning Mulan walked into the Inn and found Emma sitting low on one of the couches in the living room area, sulking.

“What’s wrong?” Mulan asked as she sat down next to her.

“You know, I get it. I’m an asshole. But how can I make her see that I’ve changed if she won’t even talk to me?” Emma asked her.

“Have you changed though?” Mulan asked, “I mean what’s to say you won’t just take off again?”

“I say it.” Emma said offended.

“You said it before and yet you were gone for almost a year.” Mulan told her.

“You’re not helping.”

“Don’t get mad at me for telling you the truth, for telling you what you already know.” Mulan told her.

“So help me figure out what to do.” Emma said, “Please.”

“Because I’ve sent her flowers. I even serenaded her with a song and she had me arrested. She still won’t talk me, to let me explain.”

“Flowers die and songs fade.” Mulan told her, “Do something permanent.”

“What are you talking about? Like a tattoo?” Emma asked with a laugh then looked at Mulan who wasn’t laughing.

“You’re not serious are you?”

“No.” Mulan said, “Trust me, never get the name of someone you’re dating tatted on you.”

Emma looked at her.

“Never.” She whispered.

Emma sighed, “Help me damn it!”

“Move out of the inn and get a place of your own. Find a job that’s more than something a teenager can get during the summer. Get involved with the town, with the community.” Mulan told her.

“How do I get involved?” Emma asked.

“I hear the nuns need a little help with the street fair this year.” Mulan told her, “You remember the street fair right?”

Emma smiled. It was the first bit of hope she had at trying to win Regina back.


	8. Chapter 8

Emma left Mulan at the inn and headed straight over to Your Sundae Best.

“You’re not scheduled for work today my dear.” Lea Rubify said with a smile.

“Oh I know.” Emma told her, “But I wanted to ask you if I could help with the street fair.”

“Really?” Lea asked surprised.

“Yes. I mean you don’t have to be a nun to help out, do you?” Emma asked.

Lea chuckled, “Certainly not.”

“We’re still in the planning stages at the moment.” Lea told her, “What is it you would like to do?”

“Whatever you need me to do. I can help run errands, set up booths, get volunteers; work with the clean-up crew.” Emma told her, “Like I said, whatever you need.”

“The Lady of Perpetual Sorrow is always looking for generous people like you.” Lea told her, “So I’m sure we can find you something to do.”

“Great.” Emma said to her with a smile.

Lea promised to call her when they had a plan and Emma left the ice cream shop with a smile on her face and her latest mission on her mind.

Emma grabbed a copy of the local paper then headed over to the diner to eat.

“What can I get you?” Ruby asked as she stood by the booth Emma was sitting in.

“A pen and a cup of coffee.” Emma told her, “Please.”

Ruby dug through her apron pocket and pulled out a blue ink pen and handed it to her then poured her a cup of coffee.

“Anything else?” She asked.

“No, thanks.” Emma said with a smile.

Emma went back to scanning through the small section of homes for sale. She found what she was looking for and with a smile she took a sip of her coffee. She got up, paid for her coffee then headed out the door.

She zoomed across town in the little car Mulan lent her and parked outside a small beige colored house. She headed up the walkway, knocked on the door and waited.

A woman with long blonde hair and crystal blue eyes open the door and greeted Emma with a smile, “Hello!”

“Hi.” Emma said a little intimidated by her enthusiasm.

“Are you here for the open house?” She asked.

“Uh, yeah. Is that okay?” Emma asked.

“Of course.” The woman said, “Please come on in.”

She opened the door wider and Emma stepped inside.

“My name is Aurora and I am head agent at Briar Rose Real Estate.” She said to Emma as she handed her a piece of paper that listed some of the homes features.

Aurora talked the entire time she gave Emma the tour of the home. Afterwards they stepped back into the living room and Aurora smiled her signature smile again.

“So, what do you think?” She asked Emma.

“Why is the owner selling?”

“Mr. Gold acquired a bigger home for him and his young bride.” Aurora told her.

Emma looked around the living room then shook her head, “No, there’s just something not right about it.”

“Okay.” Aurora said, “Can you tell me what you’re looking for?”

Emma thought for a bit, “Something permanent.” She said turned around walked out the front door.

Aurora hesitated then followed her.

“I want a porch with a swing were we can sit and have our morning coffee.” Emma told her, “I want a big front lawn with maybe a couple of shade trees. Even a fruit tree or two would be nice.”

She turned to Aurora, “I want a home.”

A smile appeared on Aurora’s face then she turned, locked the front door then said, “I think I have just the place.”

Emma followed Aurora in her car. The house was about 2 miles from the center of town.

They parked and Emma got out of her car as Aurora hustled up the walkway to the front door.

It had everything she wanted. The trees, the porch swing and a homey feeling.

“I’ll take it.” Emma said to Aurora as she stepped up onto the porch.

“But you haven’t seen the inside yet.” Aurora said with a pout.

Emma sighed, she wasn’t going to change her mind but Aurora looked really disappointed so she let her do her job.

“Okay show me the inside.”

Aurora smiled and they went in.

She gave Emma the tour, talking about the finer points of the house but Emma was barely paying attention as she was already making plans for the house.

“There’s two bedrooms upstairs with a bathroom.” Aurora continued, “Downstairs you have the spacious living room, a dining area, bathroom, beautifully redone kitchen and a small office.”

She turned to Emma, “You said ‘we’ earlier. Will someone be joining you?”

“I hope so.” Emma said then clapped her hands together, “So where do I sign?”

“It’s not that simple Ms. Swan.” Aurora told her, “You have to pass a credit check, you need to have the down payment then put in a bid for the home.”

“Okay well then let’s do whatever you need me to do first.” Emma told her.

Aurora took Emma into the kitchen to fill out a form to allow the credit check.

“Do you want to make a bid on the home as well?” Aurora asked.

“Yes.” Emma told her and Aurora pulled out more paperwork from her briefcase on the counter.

“Maybe you’d like your lawyer to look over things before you sign?” Aurora suggested.

“I don’t have a lawyer.” Emma told her.

“I’d suggest getting one to help with all the paperwork. There’s no rush, this home has been up for sale for almost a month now with no other offers.” Aurora told her.

Emma sighed. She didn’t want to wait for paperwork and lawyers.

“Do you have any suggestions on who could help?” Emma asked her.

Aurora smiled, “I do.”

She reached back into her briefcase and pulled out a card. She held it out for Emma, “He’s been very helpful since coming to town.”

Emma looked at the card that read ‘Archibald Hopper, Attorney at Law.’

“I’ll go talk to this guy and have him bring you the paperwork.” Emma told her.

“And while you do that I will have your credit checked.” Aurora told Emma as they walked out of the house and she locked the door.

“Once I look over the papers with the lawyer then can I put in a bid?” Emma asked.

“Yes. The paperwork for offering a bid is in there as well.” Aurora told her, “Then the offer goes to the owner and they will either approve it or not.”

“Do you think there will be a problem?” Emma asked as they headed down the walkway.

“The owner is a bit of a ….” She paused, “How can I put this nicely?”

She thought for a minute, “Okay I can’t. The owner is a bit of a hard ass.”

They stopped at Emma’s car, “Who’s the owner?”

“The Mayor, Cora Mills.”

“Ah shit.” Emma cursed.

“You know her?” Aurora asked.

“You could say that.” Emma said as she opened her car door and got in.

***

No one was at the front desk when Emma walked into small office of Archibald Hopper on Main Street.

“Hello?” She called out as she looked around, “Anyone here?”

Emma heard someone fumbling around in a back room.

“Yes, I’ll be right there.” A man called out.

Emma was busy looking at the degrees on the wall and didn’t hear the man step into the room.

“How can I help you?” He said and Emma jumped.

She turned around and saw Archie the man who had woken her up on the bench when she’d first gotten into town.

“Ah Emma, the homeless woman from the dock.” Archie said as he walked around behind his desk and sat down.

“You’re the lawyer?” She asked him then glared, “And I’m not homeless.”

“Okay I’m sorry.” He said, “Please, have a seat and tell me what I can do for you.”

“I’m here to buy a house.” She told him.

“So then would you currently say you’re without a home?” He asked her.

“Yes.” Emma answered him with a raised eyebrow.

“So that would make you….?” Archie asked trying to keep a straight face.

“Ha-ha.” Emma said wagging a pointed finger at him, “I see where you’re going.”

He pushed up his glasses, “Just a little humor to start off our meeting.”

After almost two hours they had gone through all the paperwork and Emma made her bid and signed it.

“I will take this to the real estate office first thing in the morning.” He told Emma as he stapled the papers together.

“Take them now.” Emma told him.

“Ms. Swan…” He started to say but Emma interrupted him.

“Look, this is the first big thing I’ve done in a very long time.” Emma told him, “So please take the paperwork to the real estate office and get this going for me.”

“Of course Ms. Swan.” He told her.

“Thank you.” She said to him as they both stood up. She shook his hand, “And please call me Emma.”

He smiled at her, “I’ll get this papers right over to Briar Rose, Emma.”

The next morning Emma headed over to the school to talk to the principal about taking back her music teaching job when the fall semester started.

She went to the office and up to the front desk where a woman was sitting at a computer typing, “Can I speak with the principal?”

“Is this about your child?” the woman asked.

“I don’t have a child at this school.” Emma told her, “I want to talk to the principal about a job.”

“The school year is over in 3 days.” The woman said, “And the principal is very busy.”

“It’s for the fall semester and I just need 5 minutes.” Emma told her.

“As I said before…” The woman started to say.

“Emma, what are you doing here?”

Emma turned to see Mary Margaret standing behind her.

“I need to talk to the principal but I’m getting stonewalled here.” Emma said to her.

“What do you need to talk to the principal about?” Mary Margaret asked.

“I want to see if I can get my old job back as the music teacher.” Emma told her.

“I see.” Mary Margaret said to her.

And Emma could see on Mary Margaret’s face that she didn’t believe she was serious about the job.

“I plan on sticking around town for a long time Mary Margaret.” Emma told her, “But I need this job to do that.”

Mary Margaret walked across the room, “Well then, step into my office.” She said and opened the door marked Principal.

Emma smiled and followed her in, shutting the door behind her and sitting down across from Mary Margaret.

“So this is new.” Emma said to her, “Last time I was here you were teaching grade school.”

“I miss teaching every now and then but I think I can help the kids better this way.” Mary Margaret told her.

She leaned back in her chair, “So, unfortunately the music teacher position has already been filled and the teacher is doing a wonderful job.”

“Okay I understand.” Emma said as she stood up to leave.

“But…” Mary Margaret said as she dug through a drawer in her desk.

“But?” Emma asked as she sat back down.

“There is a position at a private school in Rockland.” Mary Margaret told her as she handed Emma a piece of paper with the information about the school and job on it.

Emma looked over the information then looked at Mary Margaret.

“I can put in a good word for you but Emma I don’t want to put my reputation on the line if you aren’t going to follow through.”

Emma didn’t realized just how many people she’d let down when she left town.

“I promise you this time I’m not going anywhere.” Emma told her as she looked her in the eyes.

Mary Margaret smiled then picked up her phone.

Emma sat quietly while Mary Margaret talked on the phone for almost 20 minutes before finally hanging up.

“Okay, you have an interview tomorrow with Talia Ross at 3pm.” Mary Margaret told Emma as she wrote down the information and gave Emma the slip of paper.

“Thank you Mary Margaret.” Emma said told her, “I mean it, thank you.”

“Thank me when you get the job.” Mary Margaret told her with a smile.

***

Just before Emma headed to Rockland for her interview Lea called her and asked if Emma would be willing to run a new booth at the street fair and Emma happily agreed. She promised Lea they’d get together later and talk about what else she needed to do.

Talia Ross was a tall slender woman with long dark hair, blue eyes and a pointy nose. She wore way too much lipstick and desperately needed her eyebrows plucked.

The two women sat across from each other in Talia’s office and Talia asked Emma all the usual questions. They spoke for almost an hour before she leaned back in her chair and smiled at Emma.

“I think you’re just what we’re looking for.” Talia said to Emma.

“Really?”

“Our last music teacher was 82 years old and taught the same lessons for the 45 years he was here.” Talia told her, “It’s definitely time for a change and you’re it Emma.”

“I look forward to it.” Emma told her with a smile.

Talia gave Emma a small tour of the school and showed her what would be her classroom come the new semester.

They talked more as Talia walked Emma to her car and after a handshake and a smile Emma got in her car and headed back to Storybrooke.

Emma walked into the bakery with a huge smile on her face. She went up to the counter, “I’d like a big slice of coconut cream pie please.” She said to Regina.

“Why are you in such a good mood?” Regina asked as she cut Emma a small slice of pie, put it on a plate and slid it to her across the counter.

Emma paid her then looked at her meager piece of pie and frowned. She looked up at Regina and her smile returned, “Oh just having a good day.”

She took her pie and headed for the door, “I’m going to eat this outside.”

“You can’t.” Regina called after her and Emma looked at her.

“You can’t take the plate and fork outside.” Regina told her.

“Okay then.” Emma said as she returned to the counter. She placed the plate and fork down, grabbed a handful of napkins and shoved them into her pocket. She smiled at Regina then picked the piece of pie up with her hand and headed out the door.

Emma sat on Henry’s bench and took a big bite of her pie.

Her second bite was interrupted when Regina came up and asked, “Where have you been these past few days?”

“Miss me?” Emma asked with her mouth full.

“No.” Regina said as she folded her arms across her chest, “I was just wondering why you weren’t around harassing me.”

“I’ve taken advice from a friend and I’m trying to get my shit together.” Emma told her then took another big bite of pie.

“And how exactly are you doing that?” Regina asked.

“You’ll know soon enough.” She said and took her last bite of pie. Her cheeks bulged out as she wiped her hands with the napkins. She wiped her face then threw the mess of napkins away in the waste basket near the bench.

She stood up, “Thanks for the celebratory pie and talk but I’ve got to see an ex-nun about a street fair now.”

Emma went over to Your Sundae Best and found Lea behind the counter scooping ice cream for a teenage girl and her little brother. Emma sat down at one of the tables and waited till Lea was finished.

Once Lea joined her they talked about the street fair.

“It’s going to be for two nights this year.” Lea said with excitement. “So what I’ll need from you is to work the new booth one night then on the second night you’ll work another booth.”

“Sounds good to me.” Emma told her, “What booths?”

“The new booth is a dunking booth and the other booth is pie throwing.” Lea told her.

“So, I’ll be manning a booth where some poor sucker gets dunked by all the people who are pissed off at them in town?” Emma asked with a smile and Lea shook her head no.

“I’m the sucker aren’t I?” Emma asked and Lea nodded her head.

“It’s not a deep tank, so it’s not like you’ll drown.” Lea assured her.

“I’m sure that will disappoint more than a few people in town.” Emma grumbled.

“The pie throwing is well, just what it is.” Lea said, “You stick your face through a hole in a cutout and people throw pies at you.”

“If this isn’t what you had in mind then I can find something else for you, say behind the scenes.” Lea said to her.

“No.” Emma told her, “This is exactly what I need to do.”

“Perfect!” Lea said smiling, “We’re so glad to have your help.”

“I’m happy to do it.” Emma told her.

Emma got into her tiny car and was just about to head back over to the inn when she got a call from Aurora asking if she’d stop by Briar Rose to talk about the house.

She walked into the real estate office with a smile on her face, “Tell me you have some good news for me.”

Aurora smiled at her, “Follow me to my office.”

They went into Aurora’s small office and she shut the door behind her before sitting down at her desk.

“Sit down please.” Aurora told her and Emma reluctantly sat down in a chair across from her.

“Unfortunately your bid was rejected.” Aurora told her.

“I’ll pay more if that’s what she wants.” Emma told her.

“It’s not the amount of money.”

“Then what is it?” Emma asked and Aurora looked at her awkwardly.

“Oh.” Emma said as she got it, “It’s me.”

“I’m really sorry.” Aurora told her, “I can’t force someone to sell their home.”

Emma stood up, “No, that’s okay. It’s not your fault. It’s mine.”

She went to the door and opened it, “And I think it’s about time I start fixing it.”


	9. Chapter 9

Emma slammed the door shut on the little teacup car as she got into the driver’s seat. She gripped the steering wheel tight and let out a long line of curse words. She clenched her jaw then let out a sigh before starting the car and driving to the town hall.

“Miss, you can’t just go in there!” A woman said to Emma as she pushed open the door to the Mayor’s office.

The woman followed Emma inside, “I’m sorry Madam Mayor, she wouldn’t stop.”

Cora waved her hand silencing the woman, “It’s okay Shirley. Please leave us and shut the door.”

The woman did as she was told and shut the door behind her.

Cora turned her attention to Emma who was standing in front of her desk.

“And to what do I owe this unexpected and totally unwanted visit?” Cora asked Emma as she sat comfortably behind her desk.

“Not letting me buy your house isn’t going to keep me from staying in Storybrooke.” Emma told her.

“Perhaps my daughter should tell you she loves you again then.” Cora said to her.

“Okay I deserved that.”

Cora stood up, “You deserve a lot more than just that.”

She rounded her desk and stood in front of her, “Trust me when I tell you that I understand all about how hard it is living in a small town but you broke my daughter’s heart when you left.”

“Regina is a tough woman but she cried for days after you left. My husband loved you like you were his own and you didn’t even bother to say goodbye to him.”

Cora scoffed, “And you think buying a house and applying for a job at some private school is going to prove anything to my daughter?”

“You’re selfish, inconsiderate and I don’t think you’re even capable of love.” Cora said to her.

“You’ll get tired of this town just as quickly as you did before and you’ll leave.” Cora said, “And when you do, I promise you this time no one will cry, no one will miss you and no one will care if you say goodbye or not.”

Emma kept the tone of her voice soft, “I’m sorry that I didn’t say goodbye to Henry. But I’m even sorrier that he passed away because I know just how much he loved you and Regina.”

“That being said, I know I hurt Regina but that’s between us.” Emma told her, “She’s a grown woman and she doesn’t need her mommy fighting her battles.”

“So if you want to be petty and keep me from buying the house I want then that’s fine. I’ll find something else.” Emma said then took a step towards Cora, “But know this Madam Mayor, you can do whatever you like to run me out of town but I have no plans on leaving any time soon.”

Emma left before security was called. She felt a rush of satisfaction as she got into the teacup and started back to the Inn.

She slammed on the brakes when she saw a flatbed tow truck cutting through the town square hauling a very familiar yellow Volkswagen.

Emma followed the tow truck to Mulan’s shop and got out of the little car and went into the garage where Mulan was working under the hood of an old Chevy pick-up.

“Is that my Bug?” Emma asked.

Mulan leaned over and looked outside. She looked back at Emma, “Looks like it.” She said then went back to working on the truck.

“How? Why?” Emma asked her, a little confused.

“I called around and found out where it was.” Mulan told her, “And because I consider you a friend.”

Emma did something totally unexpected to the both of them. She threw her arms around Mulan and hugged her.

“Whoa whoa easy there.” Mulan said as she unwrapped herself from Emma’s arms, “My lady doesn’t mind flirting but when things get physical, well that’s where I have to draw the line.”

“I’m sorry I’m just so happy.” Emma said smiling as she watched the tow truck driver lower the Bug from the bed of his truck.

Emma’s head whipped around, “Wait, did you say ‘My lady’?”

“Someone’s dating you?” Emma asked, her eyebrows up.

“Hey asshole, don’t sound so surprised.” Mulan said as she shut the hood of the pick-up truck.

“I’m sorry.” Emma said with a chuckle, “It’s just you’re one of the most flirtatious people I know. I just never saw you as a one woman kind of person.”

“When I’m committed, I’m committed.” Mulan told her as they walked over to the tow truck.

Mulan thanked the driver and they watched as he drove off before they pushed the Bug into the shop.

“So who is it?” Emma asked her.

“Who’s taken pity on me you mean?” Mulan asked then playfully shoved Emma.

“Yeah.”

“Aurora, she’s new here so you probably don’t know her.” Mulan told her as she went to her tool bench.

“I know her!” Emma said, “She’s my real estate agent.”

Mulan chuckled, “Well I’m glad you’re taking my advice about doing something a little more long-lasting here in Storybrooke.”

“Yeah I found the perfect house but Cora owns it and she’s refusing to sell it to me.” Emma told her.

“Find another house then.” Mulan told her, “Any house you choose will be the perfect house if it’s the one you’re going to share with Regina.”

“Well, look at you being all wise.” Emma said to her with a smile.

“Yes, well love makes you wise and stupid at the same time.” Mulan told her, “You’re just lucky to catch me on a wise day.”

Mulan looked at her, “And hey, what did I tell you about taking care of this Bug?”

“I did take care of it.” Emma said, “It just wasn’t too happy I decided to drive it cross country again.”

“Well knock that shit off.” Mulan told her, “Okay go away now I have work to do.”

She waved Emma away without a second glance and Emma chuckled as she left.

Instead of going right back to the inn she headed over to the diner and Mary Margaret there. She told her she’d gotten the job at the private school and thanked her with a hug.

“I’m happy for you and I know you’ll do great there.” Mary Margaret told her before she and David left with their food.

As Emma sat in a booth waiting for her dinner she called Aurora and told her she’d like to look at more homes that were available and they made an appointment to meet up tomorrow morning before Emma had to go to work.

***

In the morning Emma and Aurora had looked at 2 more houses that were up for sale in Storybrooke.

“This is the only other home for sale.” Aurora said as they drove together to the last house.

They pulled up out front and Emma smiled. It was a white two story house with light blue shutters on the windows. The front porch wrapped around half the front of the house. A white swing sat in front of one of the large windows.

Two flower beds flanked both sides of the porch steps and brought color to the front yard. A huge shade tree kept the sun from beating down on half of the house. There were two small trees to the right of the house but Emma wasn’t sure what kind they were.

They got out of the car and made their way up the walk. Aurora let them into the house then gave her the tour.

There was a master bedroom with its own bath and a second bedroom was near the bathroom down the hall. Downstairs was a small office, dining room and kitchen.

Emma’s favorite room was the living room. It was already furnished like most of the house but she could see Regina and herself cuddled up on the couch together watching a stupid movie in front of the stone fireplace.

“Cora doesn’t own this house too does she?” Emma asked as she walked around the living room.

“No, a couple owned it but they moved to Chicago so they are looking to sell it quick.” Aurora told her.

“I’ll take it.” Emma told her.

Aurora gave Emma the paperwork she needed to take to Archie and then they went back to Briar Rose so Emma could pick up her car.

Emma spent the rest of her afternoon scooping ice cream.

“Emma, I’m sorry but I need you to do a delivery for a child’s birthday party.” Lea said to Emma as she came in from the backroom carrying an ice box with 5 gallons of ice cream in it.

“Not a problem.” Emma told her as she took the box from her.

“The address is right there on the box.” Lea told her, “And please hurry.”

Emma was out the door and in her little teacup car in no time. She made it to the party before the ice cream ever had a chance to melt.

The mother of the birthday girl led Emma to the kitchen and asked if she’d put the ice cream in the freeze.

“Do you have to wear that stupid hat on deliveries too?”

Emma turned from the freezer and smiled when she saw Regina, “I happen to like this hat very much.”

“You would.” Regina said as she placed a rather large pink box down on the counter.

Emma closed the freezer and stood across from her, “Will you go out to dinner with me?”

Regina didn’t even bother suppressing her laugh, “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No.” Emma said to her.

“You broke my heart Emma, what makes you think I want to go out to dinner with you?”

“I can’t make it up to you, can’t apologize and make you realize how sorry I am if you won’t let me.” Emma told her.

“Maybe I don’t want you to. Maybe I just don’t care anymore.” Regina told her then turned to leave.

Emma caught her by the wrist, “I don’t believe that and I don’t think you do either.”

Regina pulled out of Emma’s grip and left without saying another word.

The next few days Emma’s time was filled with work and helping Lea plan for the street fair. But despite that she still made time to go to the bakery at lunch time and have a slice of pie.

Regina wouldn’t talk to her much even though Emma tried engaging her in conversation.

“Can’t you see I’m busy?” Regina asked, exhausted from all of Emma’s questions.

Emma looked around the shop. There were only 3 other people sitting in the bakery and no one was coming in the door.

“Are you going to the street fair this weekend?” Emma asked ignoring her question.

Regina sighed, “Yes.”

She turned to take a tub of dirty dishes into the kitchen, “And before you even ask, no I don’t want to go with you.”

“Maybe I’ll see you there.” Emma called after her but the door swung shut and she wasn’t sure Regina heard her.

****

Emma just finished her shift at Your Sundae Best when Aurora came into the shop.

“Hey.” Emma said to her as she took off her hat and removed her apron.

“So, I have some good news for you.” Aurora said hardly able to contain her smile.

“Oh?” Emma said grinning back at her, “Does this have something to do with the house?”

“It sure does.” Aurora said and she held up a set of keys.

Emma couldn’t contain herself. She did a little jig in the middle of the shop then hugged Aurora, lifting her up and twirling her around.

“You’re crushing me.” Aurora squeaked out.

Emma put her down and let her go, “I’m sorry. I’m just so happy.”

“Yes I can see that.” Aurora said smiling as she handed her the keys.

Emma kissed Aurora quickly on the cheek before practically running for the door. She paused only briefly, “Don’t tell Mulan I kissed you.”

She got into the Teacup and drove straight to her new home. She went inside and into the living room where she flicked on a light on and plopped down on her couch.

‘Her couch. Her house.’ She thought and smiled.

***

Emma spent the next day with Lea and a few of the nuns making final preparations for the street fair. She never realized just how much nuns bickered.

She leaned to her left and whispered in Lea’s ear, “I need a break.”

“Good idea.” Lea said as she stood up, “Ladies, let’s all take a break and meet back here in an hour.”

Lea and Emma stayed behind and let the nuns clear out first.

“Man.” Emma said massaging her temples with the tips of her fingers, “How do you guys get any work done?”

“It truly is a test from God.” Lea said with a chuckle.

Emma took her hour break and headed straight over to Enchanted Delights. She went up to the counter and smiled at Regina.

“So I have an offer.” Emma said to her.

“I’m not interested.”

“You haven’t even heard what it is yet.” Emma said and Regina just rolled her eyes and moved further down the counter.

“Let me make dinner for you.” Emma said to her.

“Oh yeah and how are you going to do that?” Regina asked, “Is Granny going to let you use the kitchen at the Inn? Are we going to eat while sitting on your bed in your room?”

“No, I’ll be cooking in my kitchen and we’ll be eating at my dining room table.” Emma told her then smiled, “But if you’d like we can eat breakfast in bed the next morning.”

“Your kitchen?” Regina asked her.

“My kitchen in my house.” Emma told her.

“You bought a house?” Regina asked, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Yes I managed to buy a house here.” Emma told her, “Despite your mother’s best efforts to house-block me.”

“My mother?”

“Oh I guess Madam Mayor forgot to mention the fact that I tried buying the house she had for sale on Maple Street.” Emma said then waved her hand in the air as if to magically erase what she’d said, “That’s not important. What is important is that I have a home here now and I would like it very much if you’d come over and let me make you dinner.”

Regina was quiet for about 3 seconds and Emma thought she was actually considering it.

“No.” She finally said.

“I’m not giving up.” Emma told her. It wasn’t a threat or warning but a promise she planned on keeping.

***

Emma never could have imagined how bossy nuns could be. She’d volunteered to help set up booths for the street fair and one nun was riding her ass like a cowboy on a bull at a rodeo.

She was currently hiding by the hardware shop out of sight from the tyrannical nun. She took a sip of water from her bottle and slid down the wall to sit on the ground. She closed her eyes and let the mid-morning sun beat down on her face.

“Did the nuns work you to death already?”

Emma opened her eyes, shielding them from the sun with a hand she looked up to see Mulan casually leaning against the building and looking down at her.

“Yes. I’m dead right now and apparently heaven is me hiding from nuns.” Emma told her.

“It could be hell.” Mulan said as she gave Emma a hand up.

Emma laughed and dusted herself off, “Yeah.”

“So are you here to help or give me a hard time?” Emma asked her.

“I’m here to tell you that your Bug is fixed and I’d like my loaner car back.” Mulan told her.

“But I just got used to driving around the little teacup.” Emma told her with a fake pout, “I even named it Chip.”

“Well if you don’t want your Bug back that’s up to you.” Mulan said as she started to walk off.

She grabbed Mulan’s arm, “No, no I want my car back.”

“Okay, come by the shop tomorrow morning to pick it up.” Mulan told her then turned and looked at her, “And try containing your excitement so you don’t, you know kiss me or anything.”

Emma’s eyes widened and Mulan just gave her a wink and headed on her way.

The bossy nun spotted Emma and waved her over. She mumbled a curse word then went back to work.

The set up crew took a break for lunch that was catered by a sandwich and coffee shop called The Beanstalk that was run by a very large but nice man named Anton.

Emma grabbed a sandwich and took a big bite of it. She spotted Regina handing out cups of something to drink for the volunteers.

She wiped her mouth and went over to her, “You know I’ll be working at the fair tonight.”

“I’m happy for you.” Regina said not looking at her as she poured a drink for one of the nuns.

“It’s a pretty sweet gig. It involves lots of pie.” Emma continued.

“Well don’t choke on it.” Regina said giving her a cup of punch.

Emma smiled and downed her drink before tossing the cup into the trash and getting back to work.

***

Lea thanked everyone for their hard work and promised that the reward would be worth it as they are using the money to help kids in need.

Emma asked Lea if there was anything more she needed to do before tonight and Lea smiled at her and told her to go home, get some rest so she’ll be ready to be pelted with pies.

When Emma got home she went upstairs took a shower then went downstairs to watch TV and brainstorm.

She had to figure out a way to get Regina to talk to her, to get her to forgive her. She pulled the black and white pictures from her jean pockets and smiled. They looked so happy and unaware of what the next few months would bring.

She wanted to bring that smile back to Regina’s face. She wanted to do what she could to repair the damage she’d done so they could move forward together. She wanted to be the reason Regina was happy.

Emma fell asleep thinking about this while she held the pictures of hope in her hand.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Emma woke up a couple hours later. She placed the pictures safely on her coffee table then put on her shoes and headed to Main Street.

She found Lea at one of the booths,

She smiled at her, “It seems like there’s more people here than last year.”

“People from a few neighboring towns decided to show their support.” Lea said, hardly able to contain her excitement, “I think it’s absolutely wonderful.”

She turned to Emma and gave her a look, “Why don’t you have pie on your face?”

Emma laughed, “On my way now.”

The booth she was at was set up with prizes that consisted of small stuffed animals like pink elephants, a monkey holding a banana and racing turtle with goggles on.

“Hi.” A young girl said to her as Emma stepped into the booth.

“Hi.”

“I’m Grace, I’ll be helping you out tonight.” She said to Emma.

“Oh cool thanks.” Emma said as she inspected the wooden cutout of the clown that stood before her.

“So the concept is easy.” Grace said, “You stick your face through the hole and I hand people the pies and they throw them at you.”

“It doesn’t seem challenging. Everyone wins a prize if they hit me?” Emma asked as she put her face through the hole in the cutout.

“Well no, they have to hit you in the face.” Grace said, “And you’re a good ten feet from them.”

Emma pulled her face out of the cutout then went over to the table of pies. She took a swipe of what looked like cool whip with her finger, put it in her mouth and immediately spit it out.

“It’s shaving cream.” Grace told her.

“But, why?” Emma whined then spit again.

“The nuns thought it’d be funny.” Grace said with a shrug.

Grace handed her a small pair of swimming goggles to protect her eyes and explain that if someone hit her in the face that she’d be sprayed water to clean her off.

“And I’m guessing you get to be the one that sprays me?” Emma asked as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail then put on the goggles.

“You got it.”

“Okay then.” Emma said as she stuck her face into the cut out, “Let’s do this!”

After an hour of pie throwing Emma only got hit in the face few times. She was so thankful some of the parents let their children throw the pies.

Lea came to check the booth and was happy to see how well Emma’s booth was doing.

“You’re very popular tonight.” Lea called out to Emma who was getting rinsed off by Grace.

“Thanks.” She grabbled as the water ran down her face.

Emma was wiping her face with a towel when she heard a husky, vengeful voice say, “I want 6 pies.”

She looked up from her towel to see Regina standing there, a pie already in her hand.

Emma smiled and put on her goggles before getting back into position behind the clown.

Regina threw a pie and it hit the clowns arm.

“Aw come on now Regina you can do better than that.” Emma said with a smile.

Regina threw again and hit the clown in the stomach, then the shoulder then the other arm.

“Wow, you’re really bad at this.” Emma said, “Why don’t you let the little kid behind you have a go, I bet he can throw way better than that.”

Regina threw another pie with force and it went completely wild and over Emma’s head.

“Do you need glasses maybe?” Emma taunted, “My face is right here!”

She stuck her tongue out and wiggled it around.

Regina threw her last pie with great effort and a grunt and it smacked Emma right in the face. Emma gagged on the shaving cream as she pulled her face from the cutout.

She spit out the cream, took off her goggles and looked at Regina who was hugging the little pink elephant she’d just won.

“I told you not to choke.” She said with a smile.

Emma didn’t get a chance to reply before Regina walked off because Grace turned the hose on and sprayed her in the face.

She spent another hour being pelted in the face before Grace’s father; Jefferson came to replace Emma while she took a break.

“Enjoy.” She told him as he put on the googles and braced for impact.

Emma walked around the fair looking for Regina and when she didn’t spot her she headed over to the bakery.

The lights were on and Emma could see her behind the counter pulling pies from the display case.

She opened the door and went inside, “Hey.”

Regina looked up, “Hey yourself.”

“Did you have fun tonight?” Emma asked her smiling.

“Nailing you in the face with shaving cream was the highlight of my night.” Regina said to her as she pushed a cart with the pies and cakes into the kitchen.

Emma followed her into the kitchen, “Well I’m glad I could help brighten your night.”

Regina turned from the fridge and looked at her, “Why did you buy a house here?”

“The old bat at the inn was charging me too much.” Emma joked which she realized wasn’t the right thing to do when Regina just turned around and continued unloading the baked goods off the cart.

“I bought the house because I need a place where we can call home.” Emma told her.

“We?” Regina scoffed, “You got a mouse in your pocket or something?”

“You know who I’m talking about Regina.” Emma told her.

“I have to close up now.” Regina said Emma as they stood in the kitchen.

“I think you’ve already done that.” Emma said to her, “Haven’t you?”

Emma didn’t wait for a response she just pushed through the kitchen doors and headed out of the bakery and back to her pie booth.

At the end of the night Emma helped the work crew clean up and made sure everything was secure before she went home, took a long hot shower then climbed into bed and fell asleep.

***

In the morning Emma drove the teacup over to Mulan’s garage. She gave the car a little pat on the hood before going into the office and handing Mulan the keys.

“Thanks for all of this.” Emma said to Mulan.

“Not a problem.” Mulan said as they walked into the garage. Mulan then tossed her the keys to her Bug.

“Seriously though, take better care of this classic or I will confiscated it and you will _never_ get it back.” Mulan warned her.

“Yes Mom.” Emma said to her then got into her Bug and started it up. She smiled at the familiar rumble of the engine.

She puttered down the street then parked outside the diner and went inside for breakfast.

“So, how’s the new house?” Ruby asked as she poured Emma a cup of coffee.

“I love it.” Emma said to her with a smile, “And when I get really settled in you and Gran need to come over for dinner one night.”

“We’d like that.” Ruby said to her before she was summoned away by another customer.

***

Just before going to help the set-up crew for the last night of the street fair, Emma went into Enchanted Delights.

“You know my offer for dinner is still out there.” Emma said to Regina who handed her a slice of pie.

“And my answer is still no.”

“Are you coming to the street fair tonight?” Emma asked changing the subject.

Regina didn’t answer her as she helped another customer.

“I’ll be in the dunking booth tonight.” Emma told her, “Maybe you’ll get lucky and I’ll drown.”

“It’s a 4ft deep tank. I highly doubt you’ll drown.” Regina said not looking at her, “Unless you’re completely stupid.”

“Well why don’t you stop by later and make sure I’m not completely stupid?” Emma asked her.

“If I stop by I’m going to do my best to make sure you drown.” Regina told her.

Emma smiled, “Okay then see you later.”

The dunking booth was pretty simple. A tank filled with water and a little bench for her to sit on above the water. There was a Plexiglas wall in front of the tank so no one’s wild pitches would hit Emma.

Emma wore a blue bikini top and Hawaiian board shorts that had tiny little hula girls dancing on them.

“Emma, this is Peter and he’ll be helping you at your booth tonight.” Lea said introducing her to a tall sandy blonde hair boy with big ears and an even bigger smile.

“Nice to meet you Peter.” Emma said to him with a nod.

“So here’s the drill, they dunk you they get a small prize.” Lea told her as she showed off the small prizes that were hanging in a booth near the tank.

“You stay in the tank and Peter will do all the rest.” Lea told her.

“Okay I think I got it.” Emma told her and then pulled out something from her pockets. She popped a small clear plastic tip open and started to blow into it.

“What are you doing?” Lea asked her.

“Um, blowing up my water wings.” Emma said then took a deep breath and blew into the plastic tip.

Lea just rolled her eyes and walked away.

After Emma put her hair in a ponytail and put her water wings on she climbed the small metal ladder then took her seat on the red plastic bench.

As Emma sat on the bench she started heckling people as they walked by until a small line formed and they started chucking balls and hitting the target.

She shot up from the water and brushed the hair back from her face.

“Good one there Archie!” She yelled at her lawyer who despite the casualness of the fair was still dressed as if he was going to work.

Peter handed Archie his small prize and Emma climbed back up onto her seat.

She adjusted herself then smiled, “Okay let’s see who’s next?”

Emma spotted Regina as she was walking by, “Hey Regina!”

Regina ignored her as she continued down the way.

“What’s wrong Regina? Too scared to throw a few balls?” Emma called after her as she plucked her water wings off and tossed them to the side of the tank.

Regina stopped in her tracks, turned around and headed over to the dunk tank.

Emma’s grin widened.

Regina paid Peter and he handed her three balls. She winded back and threw one and it missed the targeting.

“You couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.” Emma taunted, “Too bad this isn’t darts huh?”

Regina glared at her then threw another ball this time it hit the arm of the target and Emma braced herself but she didn’t fall.

“Whew that was close.” Emma said, “But not close enough.”

Regina concentrated hard and then threw her last ball and again the ball missed and hit the backboard.

“Would you like to try again?” Peter asked her holding out three more balls.

Regina shook her head no and turned to leave.

“Yeah probably for the best. You’re not too good when it comes to second chance.” Emma called after her.

Regina spun around, grabbed one of the balls from Peter and threw it with every bit of anger she had. It hit the Plexiglas so hard that it startled Emma. She jumped and the motion triggered the seat. It collapsed under her, spilling her into the tank.

Emma recovered and looked around for Regina but didn’t spot her. She climbed out of the tank, “I’m taking a break.” She said as she ran passed Peter not bothering to grab the towel he held out.

She cut through the crowd as she saw Regina going into her bakery.

She ran after her and pushed open the door and almost slipped when she came to a stop.

“Hey!” Regina yelled at her, “You’re getting my floor all wet! Get out!”

She pushed Emma back till she hit the door. “Get out.” She said again and went to push Emma one more time but Emma caught her wrists.

“No.” Emma told her, “I think it’s about time you got a few things off your chest, don’t you?”

Regina pulled out of Emma’s grasp and took a few steps away from her.

“I have nothing to say to you.” Regina said.

“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Emma said, “I hurt you and broke your heart when I left. You’ve gotta be pretty pissed off about that.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” Regina said as she folded her arms across her chest.

“Stop pretending you don’t care, stop pretending you aren’t hurt!” Emma yelled at her.

“What do you want from me?” Regina yelled back.

“I want the truth! I want you to tell me what’s going on, how you’re feeling!”

“You said you loved me. You promised you’d never hurt me but you did just that!” Regina yelled at her, “And you did all that for what? A job? An exciting life in a bigger city?”

“You’re selfish and a liar!” She yelled.

“It broke my father’s heart when I told him you weren’t here anymore and you weren’t coming back.” Regina told her, “He didn’t come into the shop for almost a week.”

“You didn’t just hurt me Emma, you hurt him too!” She yelled as she choked back tears.

“I know that!” Emma yelled, “And I’ll have to live with the regret of hurting Henry and not being able to say I’m sorry to him for the rest of my life.”

“But I’m here now Regina.” Emma said, “I’m here now and I’ve been trying to say sorry to you since I got back.”

“Yes, you’re here now. You’ve bought a house and gotten a job.” Regina said, “What are you trying to prove?”

“I’m trying to show you that I’m here to stay that I’m not going anywhere. I want to be here and I want to be with you.” Emma told her.

“Of course now that you’ve had your little adventure and it’s convenient for you.” Regina said, “Did you even think about me at all while you were gone? Did you miss me?”

She didn’t even give Emma a chance to answer.

“Because I missed you. I cried till I couldn’t cry anymore and I’m ashamed to admit that.” Regina told her, “Because you aren’t worth it!”

Emma took a step forward, she saw the tears rolling down Regina cheeks, “I thought about you all the time. I missed you with every beat of my heart.”

Emma stepped closer; “I still love you Regina.” She said as she reached up and brushed a tear from Regina’s cheek with her thumb, “I never stopped.”

They looked into each other’s eyes.

“Well I did, Emma.” Regina said then took a step away from her, “You can leave now.”

Emma looked at her, “Who’s the liar now?”

She left the bakery and went right back to her booth.

Thank God for being dunked so no one could see her tears.

At the end of the night Emma promised Lea she’d be back early in the morning to help the cleanup crew pack everything away.

“Thank you for all your help.” Lea said to Emma and gave her a hug.

Emma smiled and gave her a nod before slipping on her flip flops and heading to her car.

This was the first time since arriving back in town that Emma felt completely defeated when it came to winning Regina back.

Emma shuffled up her walkway and went inside her house. She went upstairs and headed into the bathroom. She took off her damp clothes and threw them in the hamper before getting into the shower.

Once she was dried off, she put on a pair of sweats and a black tank top. She went back down stairs and into the kitchen where she opened the fridge and frowned.

‘Why is there never anything in this fridge that I want to eat?’ She thought to herself as she closed the fridge door.

Her doorbell rang.

She walked slowly to the front door, not bothering to look through the peephole and opened it.

Mulan stood with a pizza box and a six pack of beer, “Thought maybe you could use a friend tonight.”

Emma let Mulan in and shut the door behind her then they went into the living room and sat down.

Mulan handed Emma a beer then opened up the pizza box.

“So, that was a pretty big blow out you had huh?” Mulan asked before taking a big bite out of the slice of pepperoni pizza she held.

“You heard it?” Emma asked.

“No but from where I stood it looked like you guys were having it out.” Mulan said as she wiped her face with one of the napkins.

“What the hell was I thinking?” Emma asked, “She hates me. She has a right to but she fucking hates me.”

“Why did I think coming back and changing would even matter to her?”

Emma shook her head and took a long sip of her beer. She looked at Mulan, “She’s so angry. I’ve apologized as much as I can.”

“I bought a house, got a job.” Emma said as she set her beer down on the coffee table, “I’ve invited her to dinner, I’ve tried making things right but I don’t think she wants it.”

“I don’t think she wants me anymore.”

“So what are you going to do?” Mulan asked, “Are you going to hide out? Run away in the middle of the night? Are you going to revert back to being a scared little bitch that can’t commit to her or a life here?”

“HEY!” Emma said offended, “Back off.”

“No, see someone needs to give you a swift kick in the ass and tell you to stop sitting here complaining. Go talk to her again, and if she doesn’t want to talk now then you keep trying. You keep trying because if you love her like you say you do, and if you’ve changed like you say you have then nothing is going to stop you from fixing shit and making it right again.” Mulan told her.

Mulan stood up, “She’s shutting you down because she still loves you, you big dummy.”

She grabbed her beer and another slice of piece, “Now do something about it.”

Emma watched as her friend walked out the front door then she sat staring into empty space.

As if something pinched her she jumped up from the couch and ran up the stairs she dressed then grabbed her keys and the pictures from the coffee table before heading out the door.

Emma knew it was late but she didn’t care and Emma doubted Regina would actually be asleep. She pounded on the door to the bakery and called out for her.

She stepped back to see if a light came on upstairs and when it didn’t she stepped to the door and pounded some more.

A light turned on and Emma could see Regina as she crossed the bakery.

Regina stopped short and stood in front of the glass door staring out at her.

“What do you want?” Regina asked through the door.

“I want to talk to you.” Emma said, “It can’t wait I need to talk to you now.”

“We talked already Emma.” Regina said, “There’s nothing more to say.”

“I have plenty more to say.” Emma said, “Open the door, please.”

Regina shook her head no.

Regina watched as Emma dug into the pocket of her jeans, pulled something out and slammed it against the door.

“Do you remember this?”

Regina took a step closer and looked at the black and white photos that Emma had pressed against the door.

“This was the start of something Regina.” Emma said, “I didn’t know it in that moment but when I did I came to you Regina and we kissed for the first time.”

“I remember how it made me feel to finally kiss you and hold you in my arms.” Emma said, “I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest.”

“You were the best thing that ever could have happened to me and I fucked it up by walking away.” Emma said, “I know what I did and I’m sorry I hurt you so badly.”

“And how do I know you won’t just leave again?” Regina asked, “How do I know you won’t walk away and break my heart?”

“Because I’m here now and I have no intention of ever leaving you again.” Emma said then paused as she looked into Regina’s eyes, “And because I love you.”

Regina reached out, touching the pictures through the glass with her fingertips. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on the cold glass.

Her hand reached up and unlocked the door. She opened her eyes, turned around and walked into the kitchen leaving Emma standing outside wondering what she should do.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read, review and bookmark.

Emma stood outside for half a heartbeat before she opened the door slowly and went inside. She found Regina in the kitchen standing by a counter next to a large tray of brownies.

“Are those…?” Emma started to ask.

“Your brownies.” Regina said as she turned and started cutting into them.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Emma asked.

She only asked because she knew when Regina couldn’t sleep she’d get up in the middle of the night and come into the kitchen to bake. She would just bake whatever and for some reason it relaxed her. A few hours later she’d come back to bed smelling of flour and sweetness and fall right to sleep.

“After you left earlier, I talked to Tina but it didn’t help me all that much.” Regina said to her as she moved the brownies from the baking sheet to a tray.

She turned to look at Emma, “She really dislikes you.”

“I imagine so.” Emma said, “I hurt her best friend. It’s a wonder she hasn’t put a hit out on me.”

“I wouldn’t put it passed her.” Regina told her, “She may be small but she’s mighty vengeful and very protective.”

“What did you talk about?” Emma asked as she stepped closer to Regina.

“She doesn’t believe you’re sincere about staying here or about loving me.” Regina told her, “She thinks you’re going to use me for a little while then take off again.”

“She said she never really trusted you either.”

“What about you? Do you believe that I still love you, that I’m sincere about wanting to stay here and share my life with you?” Emma asked, “Do you trust me?”

Regina sighed, “I trusted you before Emma. I believed everything you said to me and look what that got me?”

“You weren’t happy here.” Regina said to her, “Why should I believe now will be any different?”

“Regina, leaving was a colossal mistake that I will regret forever because I wasted all those months in a crappy little apartment, miserable and without you.” Emma told her, “If I could go back in time and change it I would. I would have never left I would have stayed here and built a life with you.”

“I know my promises might not mean anything to you anymore but Regina, please give me another chance to show you that I’m here, I love you and I’m not going anywhere.” Emma asked of her.

 

 

“I went to San Francisco.” Regina said out of nowhere.

“What? When?” Emma asked surprised.

“After my dad….” Regina started to say but her voice faded. She cleared her throat, “We had talked about you a few days before. He told me I needed to fight for you.”

She let out a small chuckle then looked at Emma, “Can you believe that? You left me and he’s telling me I’m the one that had to fight for you.”

“Regina…” Emma started to say but Regina continued on.

“I told him he was nuts if he thought I was going to chase after you.” Regina told her, “Then he told me a story I never heard before.”

Regina paused to suck some caramel off her thumb then continued to squeeze it over the brownies.

“He and my mother were only married a few months when she told him she couldn’t handle being in this small suffocating town.” Regina said then looked at Emma, “Sound familiar?”

Regina gave Emma a small smile.

“She told him she couldn’t be a star here. But my dad suspected she was also afraid of not being enough for him.” Regina said, “So one day she left a note, packed a bag and took off.”

“My dad was beside himself. He loved her so much and he couldn’t believe she’d just walk away like that.”

Regina moved passed Emma to put the caramel sauce away.

“So what did he do?” Emma asked, “Did he go after her?”

“You bet he did.” Regina told her, “And when I asked him why he would go after her when clearly she didn’t want to stay, do you know what he told me?”

Emma shook her head no.

“He said, ‘Because to me she was a star. She filled my heart with love, brightness and warmth and there was no way in hell I was going to let that fade away.’”

“He went to New York, found her and told her what was in his heart and how empty he felt without her.” Regina told Emma.

“They came back to Storybrooke a couple days later and for the next 35 years never left each other’s side for more than a day.”

“So when he… you know.” Regina said still not being able to say the words, “I thought long and hard about what he had said. I thought maybe if I found you, if I told you what was in my heart that you’d come back home.”

“But, you never came to see me.” Emma said confused.

“Oh but I did see you Emma.” Regina told her, “You were in a little dive bar on stage playing guitar. I stayed in the back and watched. You finished then headed off stage and into the arms of a guy in a black leather jacket with douchebag facial hair.”

“Neal.” Emma said quietly.

“I don’t need to know the douchebag’s name.” Regina told her as she took a tray of the brownies and pushed through the kitchen doors.

Emma followed her behind the counter, “No, you don’t understand that was the guy I lived with.” Emma told her, “He was nothing more than a friend Regina.”

“Wait, how’d you know where to find me?” Emma asked her.

“Mulan.”

Emma raised an eyebrow.

“She has her ways and she knows a lot of people.” Regina told her, “Some are a little sketchy but they help when she asks. She told me that she found out you were preforming at a little bar on West Portal Ave.”

“I took the information she gave me and I booked a flight as soon as I could.” Regina told her, “I didn’t know what to expect but I didn’t expect to see you all over some guy.”

“I promise you it was nothing like that at all. Neal, though he hoped, was never more than a friend to me.” Emma told her, “My heart, my love was here with you.”

Emma stepped closer to her, she reached for her hand and when Regina didn’t pull away, she took it.

“Please believe me when I say I’m sorry for ever leaving you.” Emma said as she looked into Regina’s eyes, “I told you I’d do whatever it takes to make it up to you and I will, every day till you forgive me.”

Regina pulled her hand slowly out of Emma’s, “How about we start with dinner first and see where it goes from there?”

Emma dared a smile, “You mean it?”

“Only if you do.” Regina said to her.

“I do.” Emma said, “With all my heart I do.”

As promised Emma did whatever it took for Regina to forgive her.

So after months of dates, bickering, and more than a few tossed pies Emma and Regina’s relationship became what it was meant to be.

“Wow.” Emma said quietly to herself as she sat down on the bed.

Regina came into the bedroom with a box, “I’m not going to get unpacked with you just sitting on your butt.”

“You kept them.” Emma said as she looked up at her, “All this time, you still had them?”

Regina set the box down and took the photo strip from her, “As mad as I was at you Emma, I couldn’t throw them away.”

She went over to the bureau where she had put a picture of Henry. She rested the pictures against the frame and turned to Emma.

Emma pulled her pictures from her jeans pocket, “On my way back to you, I’d pull these out and stare at them.” Emma told her, “I felt as if I was carrying a piece of us with me. It gave me hope, hope that I could make you that happy again.”

Regina took the pictures from her and looked at them before putting them on the other side of the Henry’s picture.

“It took some time.” Regina said as she went over to Emma, pulled her up from the bed then wrapped her arms around her waist.

“But I’m happy.” She said then kissed Emma on the lips.


End file.
